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In-situ electrokinetic remediation of salt-impacted soil at a decommissioned well site

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Abstract

Chemical spills are common at oil and gas facilities and traditionally remediation occurs by excavating and removing the contaminated soil, which is environmentally destructive and financially expensive. Electrokinetic (EK) remediation is an alternative method that can reduce the amount of soil that is removed and relies on the electromigration of ions towards the electrodes after a current is applied. We investigated whether EK remediation would affect soil electrical conductivity (EC), Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cl–, and SO42– concentrations at various soil depths. The study occurred at a decommissioned oil wellsite in northern Alberta, where processed water spills had occurred. The treatments included (1) one EK run + 100 kW power [Zones E and G], (2) one EK run + 300 kW power [Zones B and H], (3) two EK runs + 100 kW power [Zones C and F]. The treatments reduced EC within the top 2 m of the soil, which was associated with reductions in Na+ and Cl– in Zones BH and EG, and reductions in Mg2+ in Zones CF. Sulfates were elevated in the top 2 m in all treatments relative to the control. Higher EC values were observed in Zones BH (300 kW) relative to Zones EG (100 kW) at all depths. In addition, Zones CF (2 EK cycles) had higher EC than Zones EG (1 EK cycle). When initial concentrations are considered, increased power and duration may improve efficacy. EK technology can be a tool to remediate sites and potentially reduce the impacts on the environment.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for funding this project. We thank Ground Effects Environmental (GEE) for establishing and maintaining the experimental set up in the field, Jeremiah Bryksa for assisting with soil characterization and lab analyses, and Mark Baah-Acheamfour for his input on the manuscript drafts. We thank the reviewers and editor for their comments and suggestions on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), 8102 99 Ave, Peace River, AB, T8S 1R2, Canada

    Ricky S. Kong, Chibuzo Ilogu & Jean-Marie Sobze

  2. UCA Engineering Ltd, 52A High Street, Beighton, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S20 1ED, England, UK

    Chibuzo Ilogu

Authors
  1. Ricky S. Kong
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  2. Chibuzo Ilogu
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  3. Jean-Marie Sobze
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Contributions

JS designed the experiment and collected samples. RSK analyzed the data and created the figures. RSK wrote the main manuscript text, and CI and JS edited the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ricky S. Kong.

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Kong, R.S., Ilogu, C. & Sobze, JM. In-situ electrokinetic remediation of salt-impacted soil at a decommissioned well site. J Appl Electrochem (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-023-02046-z

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