Use of surfactants and blends to remove DDT from contaminated soils

Removal of dichloro‐diphenyl‐trichloroethane (DDT) from soils using surfactant‐enhanced solubilisation was studied both in batch and continuous flow arrangements to determine if there were advantages to using a combination of non‐ionic (Tween and Brij) and anionic surfactants. It was observed that the presence of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl benzene sulphonate improved the DDT removal efficiency, but had a potentially negative effect on flow rates in column leaching experiments at concentrations over 0.1%. The potential for re‐use of the surfactant mixture was studied and demonstrated by removing DDT and its metabolites from the surfactant solution using activated carbon. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering