Electrokinetic remediation of gasoil contaminated soil enhanced by rhamnolipid

Electrokinetic remediation (EKR) has been investigated as one of the best technologies in soil remediation but its applications for organic contaminants have been limited due to low solubility of organics in water and their non-ionic nature. The use of biosurfactants may increase the remediation efficiency by increasing the solubility of organics. The purpose of the introduction of complexing substances is to enhance the EKR process forming complexes and/or increasing the electro-osmotic flow. In this study, the removal of gasoil from a soil using electrokinetic method was investigated in the presence of Rhamnolipid at various concentrations. EKR experiments were undertaken on a gasoil contaminated soil (20,000 ppm). Graphite carbon electrodes were used to provide an electrical direct current (ddp 30–60 V). Results showed that increasing the dose of Rhamnolipid, the efficiency of gasoil removal increased up to 86.7%. Moreover, the lower concentration of the gasoil observed in the liquid phase at the higher concentration of the biosurfactant clearly indicated that the Rhamnolipid addition can enhance gasoil biodegradation.