Synthesis and application of nanoparticles and biosurfactant for oil-contaminated soil removal

ABSTRACT: Oil exploration, production and use may cause oil leakage, which can contaminate surrounding soil. Biosurfactants are biologically produced surfactants, which are produced by yeast or bacteria from various substrates like sugars, oils, alkanes, and wastes. Biosurfactants have been used for removal of metals and hydrocarbons from contaminated soils. In addition, some nanoparticles have already shown their effective treatment of petroleum-contaminated soil. This research studies the application of various biosurfactants and nanoparticles for treatment of oil-contaminated soil. The specific objectives of this work include investigation of the removal of oil from contaminated soil by experimental columns containing some selected biosurfactants and nanoparticles in the lab, evaluation of the effect of factors, such as pH, temperature, biosurfactant concentration on the removal efficiency, and determination of the range and sustainability of the developed process. The primary results show that the main composition of contaminated soil was sand and silt, with the moisture content and organic content was 5.45% and 1.44%, respectively. Moreover, the iron/copper bimetallic particles were produced with the average diameter of the particles of 20 nm, whereas the content of iron was higher than copper. The presence of iron oxide and copper oxide was also proven by XRD analysis. In addition, zero valent iron was present in the nanoparticle composition. For testing the oil removal efficiency by biosurfactants and iron/copper particles, a column experiment was designed, and methods of soil extraction and total petroleum hydrocarbon determination were achieved.