TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR LAND CONTAMINATED WITH FULLER DIELECTRIC OIL

In recent years, Colombia has been implementing agreements and regulations for the proper handling and final disposal of hazardous waste, because the amount generated each time is increasing and the adverse impact that these residues in human health and environment. The Fuller earth is an inorganic adsorbent material (mainly aluminosilicate mineral) used in the electrical industry for the regeneration of dielectric oil, a derivative of petroleum used as an electrical and thermal insulation in power transformers. After oil regeneration process, the content of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (or PAH's by its initials in english) that has Fuller earth it become a hazardous waste that requires proper treatment to reduce its pollution and allows its reuse or safely dispose in a landfill. This is why in this article reviews the available technologies for treating this type of hazardous waste (Fuller earth contaminated with dielectric oil), dividing the treatments into two streams, physic-chemical technologies and biological, exploring alternatives appropriate and effective treatment. The limited information about existing treatments of Fuller earth contaminated with dielectric oil have guided the review in terms of the technologies implemented in hydrocarbon contaminated soils being the analogy valid due to the similar physical characteristics presented by Fuller earth with respect to a low soil carbon content.