ABSTRACT
Part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Superfund site cleanup research has been directed at washing such contaminated soil with the aid of aqueous surfactant solutions. The research takes two directions. The first is to excavate the soil and mix it in a wash solution. The second research objective concentrates on the application or injection of a surfactant solution into undisturbed soil in situ. From 1982 to 1985, the EPA researched soil washing technology, using surfactants in laboratory studies. Recompacted soils were used in these studies to simulate in situ conditions. Truly undisturbed contaminated soil was not tested up to that time. The US Air Force, as part of its Installation Restoration Program, was seeking processes to clean up 128 fire training pits at Air Force installations. The bench-scale study investigated the use of lime, alum, ferric sulfate, hydrogen peroxide, polymeric electrolytes, and mineral acids. The application of these chemicals was guided by conventions appropriate to wastewater treatment plants.
