SURFSOIL Surfactant

SURFSOIL surfactant has been formulated on the same principles of high effectiveness, high biodegradability and environmental friendliness, but with a formula specifically adapted to light petroleum-derived hydrocarbons, such as petrol and diesel.

Compared with heavy hydrocarbons, light fractions have lower viscosity, higher volatility and greater relative solubility, but they also tend to remain trapped in the soil as residual free phase (LNAPL) that is difficult to recover from the capillary fringe and the unsaturated zone. SURFSOIL works by reducing the surface and interfacial tension of these compounds, promoting their desorption from the substrate and their mobilisation into the aqueous phase without breaking the free product up into dispersed droplets that cannot be recovered. This improves the performance of combined extraction techniques —free-phase recovery, Multi-Phase Extraction (MPE) and Pump & Treatment— and prevents product losses through uncontrolled dispersion.

As with heavy hydrocarbons, the reduction in surface tension increases the contact surface of the contaminant, enhancing its natural or induced biodegradation (In Situ Biostimulation) and its reactivity with oxidising agents in In Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO) processes. On sites where it is combined with soil vapour extraction (SVE), SURFSOIL also helps to even out the distribution of the contaminant in the medium, improving the effectiveness of the vapour sweep and reducing the rebound effects typical of these compounds.

SURFSOIL is formulated with low-toxicity non-ionic surfactants, which do not interfere with indigenous microbial activity or interact with soil ions, preserving the mobility of the product and its ability to act at depth.

SURFSOIL is supplied in 20 or 25 L jerrycans, 210 L drums or 1,000 L IBC tanks.