REMEDIAÇÃO ELETROCINÉTICA - NOVAS TÉCNICAS

Electrokinetic remediation - new techniques

Abstract

Electrochemical remediation methods are those that can be used in the separation/elimination of ionic pollutants such as heavy metals. In laboratory studies, electrolytic techniques were studied using electrochemical cells containing electrolytes in solution and electrodes on artificial kaolin substrate, natural soil and contaminated natural soil. It was found that the best electrolysis conditions consisted of strongly acidic solutions, a larger useful surface of the electrodes and shorter distances between them. Studies with natural soil collected in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo artificially contaminated with Cu²⁺ indicated that, despite the soil being essentially kaolin, the electrodeposition behavior of copper (II) ions was not similar to the experiment only with kaolin. Certainly other ionic constituents present in the natural soil interfered with the electrolytic process, decreasing the deposition. Knowing the technical limitations traditionally used in electrokinetic remediation processes, based on the experimental results, these processes were innovated, applying the electrodes minimally separated in a single well. As this new technique, unprecedented, the reduction of copper ions in groundwater occurred in a short period of time. The development of this apparatus/technique made it possible to apply for a patent with USP Inovação (RPI - page 127 –BR 10 2016018392-8 2.1).