Abstract :
Solidification/stabilization of phenol-contaminated soil was investigated by studying the interaction between soil, phenol and cement. The soil (with 20% kaolinite or bentonite clay) was contaminated with phenol up to 2000 mg/kg. Type I Portland cement was used as the binder (20% by weight of contaminated soil) in the solidification/stabilization (S/S) treatment. In the phenol-cement interaction studies, the effect of various phenol concentrations on cement setting time, strength and pore fluid composition was studied. Phenol increased the initial and final setting time of cement and reduced the compressive strength. More than 85% of the phenol was desorped from the contaminated soils. The compressive strength of treated, contaminated soil decreased with higher phenol content but increased with curing time. Leachability of phenol from the solidified cement and treated, contaminated soil cured up to 180 days, was evaluated using the U.S. EPA recommended Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) and the American Nuclear Societyʹs ANS 16.1 leaching test. The percentage of phenol leached from the solidified contaminated soil was independent of the initial concentration of phenol in the contaminated soil. While the TCLP tests on treated soils showed that over 70% of phenol in the contaminated soil was leached out, the ANS 16.1 tests showed less than 35% phenol in the leachate. A simple model has been proposed to quantify the phenol leached from the cement-solidified, contaminated soil during both leaching tests.
