Electro-kinetic removal of oil from a contaminated soil

An electro-kinetic method which combined effects of electrophoresis, electro-osmosis, electrolysis, and ion exchange, was evaluated for the removal of crude oil from a contaminated soil. A field test was designed to evaluate the removal process and to measure physical and chemical changes which occurred in the soil as a result of electro-kinetic treatment. A lot of 12m × 5m × 1m was used for the field test and a DC power of 110V was applied. The observations of the test are physical and chemical changes in soil, pH value at electrodes, discoloration of the surface soil, and the oil content in soil. Testing results indicated that the electro-kinetic treatment induced a hydraulic gradient that helped most of the lighter hydrocarbons in crude oil be removed from the soil within three weeks. The pH values of 2.5 at the anode and 11 at the cathode were measured and indicated that the reduction and oxidation processes occurred as expected.