Abstract
Microemulsions are important for soil and sediment remediation technology. The characteristics of the surfactants that make up these microemulsions include low sorption into soil or sediments, low surface and interfacial tension, the ability to penetrate tiny pores, and good solubilization of contaminants. This review revealed that microemulsions formulated with nonionic and anionic surfactants have higher recovery efficiencies for hydrophobic contaminants than cationic ones, as evidenced by the surveyed studies reporting effective remediation of soils and sediments using on microemulsions. These microemulsified systems have been found to remove petroleum and its derivatives from soil or sediments at percentages ranging from 40 to 100%. As such, this review can aid with the choice of surfactants used in microemulsions for remediation, such as those with plant-based components, which are promising solutions for the remediation of contaminated soils due to their contaminant extraction efficiency and biodegradability.
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This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001. Financial support is also provided by the Edital JOVEMPESQ/PRPPG/UFBA. L.C.L. Santos is supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development – CNPq.
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All authors have made a substantial contribution to this manuscript. Adriana Vieira conceived the study, conducted the literature search, and wrote the manuscript. George Simonelli and Luiz Carlos Lobato dos Santos edited and critically reviewed the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript.
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dos Santos, A.V., Simonelli, G. & dos Santos, L.C.L. Review of the application of surfactants in microemulsion systems for remediation of petroleum contaminated soil and sediments. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 32168–32183 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-25622-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-25622-4