A pilot study of in-situ microemulsion flushing for enhanced remediation of chlorinated hydrocarbons contaminated groundwater

HU Haijuan; MO Yanyang; SHAN Huifeng; WANG Yongxing; ZHANG Zuoyou

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202511006

Volume 43 Issue 11

Nov. 2025

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HU Haijuan, MO Yanyang, SHAN Huifeng, WANG Yongxing, ZHANG Zuoyou. A pilot study of in-situ microemulsion flushing for enhanced remediation of chlorinated hydrocarbons contaminated groundwater[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2025, 43(11): 50-57. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202511006

Citation:

HU Haijuan, MO Yanyang, SHAN Huifeng, WANG Yongxing, ZHANG Zuoyou. A pilot study of in-situ microemulsion flushing for enhanced remediation of chlorinated hydrocarbons contaminated groundwater[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2025, 43(11): 50-57. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202511006

Citation:

HU Haijuan, MO Yanyang, SHAN Huifeng, WANG Yongxing, ZHANG Zuoyou. A pilot study of in-situ microemulsion flushing for enhanced remediation of chlorinated hydrocarbons contaminated groundwater[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2025, 43(11): 50-57. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202511006

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A pilot study of in-situ microemulsion flushing for enhanced remediation of chlorinated hydrocarbons contaminated groundwater

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202511006

1. DDBS Environmental Remediation Co., Ltd., Nanjing 210012, China;
2. College of New Energy and Environment, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China

Received Date: 2024-06-18
Accepted Date: 2024-07-25
Rev Recd Date: 2024-07-10

Available Online: 2026-01-09

Abstract

Abstract

Chlorinated hydrocarbons is one of the typical groundwater contaminants. Conventional pump-and-treat technology is apt to cause a tailing phenomenon in its later stage. Surfactant enhanced aquifer remediation （SEAR） is a promising remediation technology； however， its engineering applications have rarely been reported in China. This study implemented enhanced remediation of chlorinated hydrocarbons contaminated groundwater with in-situ microemulsion flushing at pilot scale， the flushing solution （i.e.， microemulsion precursor） composed of 3.0% SDS（sodium dodecyl sulfate）-7.0% n-butanol-2.0% KCl was injected into 5 to 10 meters deep from ground surface with 1 m³/d for 14 consecutive days in a chlorinated hydrocarbons contaminated zone， in a simultaneous extraction-injection mode. The monitoring data of this pilot showed that the concentration of each component of the flushing solution， i.e.， SDS， n-butanol， potassium ion and chloride ion in the extraction well peaked on the 10th to 12th day， with corresponding flushing volume approximately 1 time of the effective pore volume. Solubility of all the chlorinated hydrocarbons was enhanced through in-situ microemulsion flushing， with groundwater concentration 1.06 to 86.90 times that prior to flushing， and solubilization efficiency was in order of tetrachloroethylene （PCE） > trichloroethylene （TCE） > vinyl chloride （VC） > cis-1，2-dichloroethylene （cis-DCE）. The stronger the hydrophobicity of a chlorinated hydrocarbons， the higher its solubilization efficiency. A removal rate of 88.81% to 100% of various chlorinated hydrocarbons in the aquifer medium （soil） was achieved， indicatingin-situmicroemulsion flushing can effectively desorb chlorinated hydrocarbons in soil. This pilot study demonstrated the effectiveness of the microemulsion precursor formula， and is of reference value for popularization of in-situ microemulsion flushing technology in remediation projects of chlorinated hydrocarbon contaminated groundwater in China.
- microemulsion,
- chlorinated hydrocarbon,
- groundwater,
- in-situ flushing,
- surfactant,
- solubilization,
- desorption

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References(42)

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