Recent progress on in-situ chemical oxidation for the remediation of petroleum contaminated soil and groundwater

Accidental oil leaks and spills can often result in severe soil and groundwater pollution. In situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) is a powerful and efficient remediation technology. In this review, the applications and recent advances of three commonly applied in-situ oxidants (hydrogen peroxide, persulfate, and permanganate), and the gap in remediation efficiency between lab-scale and field-scale applications is critically assessed. Feasible improvements for these measures, especially solutions for the 'rebound effect', are discussed. The removal efficiencies reported in 108 research articles related to petroleum-contaminated soil and groundwater were analyzed. The average remediation efficiency of groundwater (82.7%) by the three oxidants was higher than that of soil (65.8%). A number of factors, including non-aqueous phase liquids, adsorption effect, the aging process of contaminants, low-permeability zones, and vapor migration resulted in a decrease in the remediation efficiency and caused the residual contaminants to rebound from 19.1% of the original content to 57.7%. However, the average remediation efficiency of ISCO can be increased from 40.9% to 75.5% when combined with other techniques. In the future, improving the utilization efficiency of reactive species and enhancing the contact efficiency between oxidants and petroleum contaminants will be worthy of attention. Multi-technical combinations, such as the ISCO coupled with phase-transfer, viscosity control, controlled release or natural attenuation, can be effective methods to solve the rebound problem.

Automated summary

This review assesses the applications and recent advances of three commonly used oxidants in the remediation of soil and groundwater, and analyzes the removal efficiencies reported in research articles related to petroleum-contaminated soil and groundwater. The study finds that the remediation efficiency of the oxidants is higher for groundwater compared to soil. Furthermore, combining multiple techniques can increase the overall efficiency of ISCO and help solve the rebound problem.