Solubilization of naphthalene and phenanthrene from a synthesized multi-component non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL) by aqueous in polyethoxylated surfactant solutions at supra-CMC dosages was evaluated in this study. PAHs are abundant at sites contaminated with many chemically complex NAPLs, such as coal tars, creosotes, and petroleum distillates. Surfactant flushing has been proposed to speed remediation at many contaminated sites, due to surfactant's ability to solubilize these hydrophobic compounds. While it is well known that surfactant micelles can solubilize significant amounts of PAHs, this research demonstrates for the first time the relationship between NAPL PAH mole fraction and the solubilization capacity of surfactant solutions. Henry's law satisfactorily described the partitioning of PAHs from hexadecane into water and into surfactant solutions. Selective solubilization of naphthalene over phenanthrene was observed, which is believed to be the result of competition for space in the micelle's outer layers. From these results a predictive relationship between NAPL PAH mole fractions and micellar solubilization is presented.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.30249 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Hill, Alex J. |
| Contributors | Ghoshal, Sabhasis (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Engineering (Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001744496, proquestno: MQ64225, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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