Keep Our Dirty Clean
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Abstract
Pyrolytic treated of contaminated clay (bentonite) impregnated with iron and copper have shown promise as a viable route to the treatment of crude-oil contaminated soils including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are a class of chemicals that occur naturally in coal, crude oil, and gasoline. Pyrolytic treatment of iron-bentonite and copper-bentonite contaminated with 0.1% (by weight) of pyrene, a PAH, resulted in a more efficient removal of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) at a pyrolysis temperature of 300 ◦C with 15 minutes contact time, less than the energy required for incineration. Our iron-bentonite sample was analyzed via gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) showing various ion fragments which indicates that pyrene is fragmenting into byproducts. The color differences between pyrolyzed clays suggest that the carbonaceous “char” material is a product of the decomposition of pyrene but further analyzation is needed to explore this process and to quantify this material.
Bio
Leonel Resendiz, Alief ISD
Sponsored by
Rice University, Nano-Enabled Water Treatment National Science Foundation (NSF) award #EEC-1449500
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Office of STEM Engagement, Rice University, Houston, TX