USING GROUND RUBBER TO REMOVE PETROLEUM FROM WATER

Limited success in the containment and remediation of liquids containing petroleum products such as gasoline, oil, and solvents has led to increased interest in the development of new cost-effective technologies for remediation. Ground rubber from scrap tires may satisfy this need, as well as the need to develop a reuse market for used tires. Research has shown that many rubber polymers can sorb a variety of solvents, including aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene compounds (BTEX) in gasoline. One use of ground rubber as a sorption medium could be as an aggregate in slurry cut-off walls that are in contact with petroleum products. The swelling property of the rubber when exposed to BTEX may also help to decrease the liquid conductivity of a cut-off wall as organic compounds permeate the wall. Ground rubber could also be used as a sorption medium in pump-and-treat methodologies, or more importantly in in-situ reactive permeable barriers. Initial research has shown that surface-treated, non-surface-treated, and differently sized tire-rubber particles have the ability to sorb O-xylene and benzene from water contaminated with these compounds. The sorption test results of ground rubber for benzene and O-xylene in aqueous solutions are promising. Further research is necessary to focus on the feasibility of ground rubber as an economically competitive sorption medium, and the ability of ground rubber to sorb multiple contaminants under natural groundwater conditions. The cost comparison should include the costs of regeneration or disposal, or both. (Entire Article)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/07386826
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Pamukcu, S
  • Kershaw, D
• Publication Date: 1996-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 48
• Serial:
  • TR News
  • Issue Number: 184
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0738-6826
• Publication flags:

  Open Access (libre)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternatives analysis; Benzene; Contaminants; Costs; Crumb rubber; Cutoff walls; Future; Groundwater; Petroleum products; Research; Slurry trenches; Solid wastes; Sorption; Tires
• Uncontrolled Terms: Decontamination; Future research; Remediation; Scrap tires; Xylene
• Subject Areas: Finance; Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; Research; Vehicles and Equipment; I35: Miscellaneous Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00723805
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jul 10 1996 12:00AM