Analysis of the biological recovery of soils contaminated with hydrocarbons using an electrokinetic treatment

Abstract There are various treatments available for soil decontamination, including physical, chemical, thermal and biological treatments. However, when pollutants are persistent or toxic, it is often necessary to use an integrated set of techniques, to enhance decontamination effects. Integrated treatments typically include soil washing, heat treatment, stabilization processes or phytoremediation. The biological recovery of soils contaminated with hydrocarbons or heavy metals is a topic of central interest, since many treatment processes are often extremely aggressive and destroy the flora and microflora of the treated environments and can interfere with the natural properties of the soil. The objective of this work was to analyze the biological recovery of soils treated with an electrokinetic remediation (ER) method at laboratory, pilot and field-scale tests which measure the germination of seeds and growth of maize ( Zea mays L.) using a 2D circular arrangement of electrodes (IrO 2 -Ta 2 O 5 |Ti| |Ti). The hydrocarbon removal rates obtained were greater than 80% for both the hydrocarbon’s medium and heavy fractions; after this ER method was employed a phytoremediation treatment was also completed, using maize, which increased the removal rates up to 90%. A coupled electro- and phyto-remediation process was develop at the field-scale within an oil refinery property in Guanajuato, Mexico to demonstrate the successful biological recovery of soils contaminated with hydrocarbons as proved by the germination of seeds and growth of maize in the on-site fields.