Electronic (EK) remediation of a contaminated soil at several Pb concentrations and applied voltages

Abstract The in situ remediation of a lead‐contaminated silt loam by electrokinetic (EK) soil flushing was studied. Two initial soil Pb concentrations (150 and 1000 mg/kg of Pb) and applied voltages (30 and 60 V) were investigated. The EK soil flushing process was less efficient for the 150 mg/kg of Pb soils despite these tests being operated for longer durations, having larger EO flows and energy inputs, and lower soil pHs. The decrease in effectiveness was attributed to a larger average metal‐soil binding energy for the lower contaminated soil. Increasing the voltage increased the EO flow, current, energy input (kW‐hr/kg of soil), and provided a more evolved low pH front, resulting in more soil being remediated. There appeared to be a correlation between the amount of EO flow and the desorption and transport of soil‐bound lead. Because complete soil remediation did not occur in any of the tests, the final energy input per kilogram of soil could not be calculated.