Prospects for using various modifications sorbents in the natural environments purification from oil products in the Kola North conditions

Abstract

Studies on the effectiveness of the using aluminosilicate mineral vermiculite of various modifications as a sorbent for the purification of natural media from petroleum products have been carried out. It has been shown that the treatment of the sorbent with a hydrophobic modifier "Penta-804" makes it possible to obtain the hydrophobic sorbent, which has high water resistance, it is able to be retained for a long time on the water surface and is nontoxic for biota. The highest efficiency is demonstrated by sorbents, on the surface of which the strains of the aboriginal oil-destructive bacteria Pseudomonas spp. have been immobilized. They allow achieving a high degree of purification (99.8 %). A high degree of water purification with covalent cross-linking sorbent (76.26 %) and bacterial suspension (51.34 %) has been also noted. Due to the desorption processes the use of sorbents for a long time is inadvisable. The use of vermiculite sorbent by scattering on the water surface proved to be more effective than in mats, which is associated with a more complete coating of the contamination surface. So, the degree of surface cleaning using the sorbent by scattering is 95 %, while the degree of surface cleaning using sorbent in mats is 78 %. In this case, the use of sorbent in mats allows reducing the percentage of particles settling to zero, and mats remain afloat for a longer time. After application in the purification process, the sorbent can be burned, modified and reused. Modified hydrophobic vermiculite in mats can be used only at the initial stages of soil purification in case of significant oil spills. Hydrophilic sorbents can perform the function of loosening the soil, improving its mechanical properties, and serve as a carrier for hydrocarbon oxidizing microorganisms

Keywords

• natural environments
• oil
• pollution
• bioremediation
• sorbents
• bacteria