Remediation Of Diesel Fuel Polluted Soil Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma

Diesel-fuel-polluted soil poses a risk to both the environment and human health. This study assessed the feasibility and efficiency of dielectric barrier discharges (DBD) for the degradation of diesel fuel in soil. At 180 W input power, 3 mm soil depth, initial concentration of 10,000 mg/kg, soil pH of 7.1, and 2% moisture, the degradation efficiency of diesel fuel reached 74% within 40 min of the treatment. The diesel fuel removal efficiency decreased significantly at a soil depth of >3 mm, and increased soil moisture impaired the process. With a high initial diesel fuel concentration, the removal efficiency was high due to the action of alkyl radicals. The most effectively removed hydrocarbons had <17 carbons, and by-products were mainly esters, anhydrides, and long-chain alkanes. The remediation efficiency of the actual petroleum-polluted soil from the Heilongjiang province of China was tested using DBD. The removal efficiency for saturated hydrocarbons was 71% at a power of 180 W for 40 min. Thus, DBD can be used as an efficient method for diesel-fuel-polluted soil remediation.