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Selective Sorption of Polydisperse Ethoxylated Nonionic Surfactants to Aquifer Materials

EPA Grant Number: GF9500147
Title: Selective Sorption of Polydisperse Ethoxylated Nonionic Surfactants to Aquifer Materials
Investigators: Kibbey, Tohren C.G.
Institution: University of Michigan
EPA Project Officer: Broadway, Virginia
Project Period: September 1, 1995 through  
Project Amount: $28,614
RFA: STAR Graduate Fellowships (1995)
Research Category: Academic Fellowships , Fellowship - Engineering , Engineering and Environmental Chemistry

Description:

Objective:

The goal of the research described here is to study how the component distribution of an ethoxylated nonionic surfactant influences its overall sorption and desorption behavior, and to assess the surfactant, sorbent and solution conditions under which selective sorption and desorption of individual surfactant components become significant. Progress to date has included the development of a novel high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analytical technique to separate and quantify the individual surfactant components, and the completion of several batch sorption experiments on quartz, with a variety of surfactants. The HPLC method makes use of an evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD), which makes possible the detection of ethoxylated linear alcohols which until recently could only be analyzed with difficult derivitization techniques. Through the use of this HPLC technique, experiments can examine the simultaneous sorption of as many as forty-five distinct surfactant components. Future experiments will consider a variety of common aquifer materials and a range of surfactants. The results of this research will provide a greater understanding of sorption and desorption of mixed surfactants, and will provide information necessary for selection of optimal surfactants for aquifer remediation applications.

Supplemental Keywords:

Scientific Discipline, Waste, Remediation, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Chemistry, Chemistry and Materials Science, surfactant enhanced aquifer remediation, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), polydisperse ethoxylated nonionic surfactants, aquifer materials, evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD), selective sorption, aquifer remediation

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The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.

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