Hydrocarbons in crude oil polluted soil: Removal using activated percarbonate and persulphate

Abstract

A comparative study of the effectiveness of alkaline activated persulfate and Fe²⁺ activated percarbonate on total petroleum hydrocarborn (TPH) and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) was conducted by comparing the concentration of the contaminants before and after treatment with the oxidants. The concentration of the hydrocarbons were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC-FID).The rate of degradation of TPH by Alkaline activated persulphate was 65.07% while that of percarbonate activated by Fe²⁺ is 65.89%. Similarly, alkaline activated persulphate produced a BTEX degradation of 99.88% while Fe²⁺ activated percarbonte produced a degradation rate of 98.23%. The results show that Fe²⁺ activated percarbonte is very efficient in degrading TPH and BTEX and the similarity recorded in rate of degradation by the two oxidants could possibly indicate the similar degradation mechanism.

Key words: Contaminants, crude oil, hydrocarbons, percarbonate, persulphate.