Dissolution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from a non-aqueous phase liquid into a surfactant solution using a rotating disk apparatus

The mass transfer of two polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), naphthalene and phenanthrene from a multicomponent non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) into a nonionic surfactant solution, Brij 35 was investigated using a rotating apparatus. Few experimental methods have been applied to the study of solubilization kinetics in organic liquids because in those systems, the interfacial area during mixing is more difficult to maintain and measure. This challenge was overcome by permeating the NAPL through a membrane. Mass transfer experiments were conducted in the absence and presence of surfactant, and the concentrations of naphthalene and phenanthrene in the bulk aqueous phase were determined in samples collected at different time intervals from the time of initial contact of the NAPL phase with the aqueous solution phase. Experiments in pure water demonstrated that the rotating apparatus behaves as in much the same way as the Levichʹs rotating disk. The mass transfer coefficients and the dissolution of PAHs into the surfactant solution were measured at different doses of Brij 35. As the surfactant concentration increased, the mass transfer coefficients for both PAHs from the NAPL decreased.