Remediation of Oil-contaminated Sediments Using Microemulsions: A Review
Suelem Sá Dela Fonte, Cibele Silva, Luiz Carlos Lobato dos Santos, George Simonelli
Abstract
The growth in world energy demand for oil has provided an increase in its exploration, production, and transportation in onshore or offshore operations. However, during these activities, oil spills can occur due to leaks, corrosion of pipes, blow-outs, among others. Oil spills contaminate the environment, affecting soil, surface water, and even beaches sands. The remediation of contaminated sediments, such as sand and soils, is an arduous task since the oil adsorbs on the surfaces of the grains and is difficult to remove. Currently, the remediation of contaminated sediments can be carried out by physical, chemical, biological methods, or a combination of them. Among the methods applied for treatment, the use of microemulsified systems has stood out in the scientific scope due to the good results of removal efficiency, reduction of the amount of surfactant, and the possibility of using biodegradable surfactants. Therefore, this paper provides a comprehensive review of the application of microemulsified systems for the remediation of sediments contaminated by hydrocarbons. Also, we discussed the limitations of the existing methodologies and the action of the microemulsion in the sediment.