Changes in Adsorption Characteristics of Heavy Metals and Organic Pollutants Following Pyrolytic Treatment of Petroleum-Contaminated Dredged Sediment

Abstract

Objectives : This study investigated the changes in adsorption characteristics of dredged sediment for heavy metals and organic pollutants after petroleum contamination followed by pyrolytic treatment.Methods : Pyrolytic treatment was conducted at two heating temperatures, 300℃ and 500℃, for 30 min using muffle furnace. Sediment spiked with No. 6 Fuel Oil at initial total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentrations of 5,000-50,000 mg/kg was used. Sorption experiments were conducted for heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Hg, As, Cr), phenanthrene and bisphenol A using clean sediment (sediment before the petroleum spiking) and pyrolyzed sediment.Results and Discussion : Pyrolytic treatment at 500℃ showed excellent TPH removal efficiency, resulting in the residual concentration of less than 50 mg/kg for all initial TPH contamination levels. High efficiencies (> 98%) were observed for the sorptive removal of Cu, Zn and Pb in the aqueous phase for both the two sediments. The removal efficiencies of Ni and Cd from the aqueous phase using pyrolyzed sediment were 31% and 24% lower than those using clean sediment, respectively, due to the reduced oxygen-containing functional group content and specific surface area after the pyrolytic treatment. The sediment-water distribution coefficient (Kd) and sediment organic carbon-water distribution coefficient (Koc) values of bisphenol A and phenanthrene in pyrolyzed sediment were considerably higher than in clean sediment due to the high organic compound sorption affinity exhibited by carbonaceous matter that was generated during the pyrolytic sediment treatment.Conclusions : The capability of pyrolytic treatment of dredged sediment to notably improve its organic compound sorption capacity may be exploited for beneficial use of the treatment product. The product may be applied as fill and backfill, soil amendment, or in-situ sediment capping materials in highly industrialized areas where mitigation measures for organic contaminant migration are necessary.