Remediation and Rehabilitation of the Kuwait Oil Lake Beds

Abstract

In-situ remediation technology has been studied for the oil-contaminated soil caused by the Gulf War in Kuwait. The developed treatment process combines solvent washing and water washing of oil-contaminated soil. After laboratory experiments, bench scale experiments, and fabrication and operation of the pilot scale plant to treat three ton per day of oil-contaminated soil, field scale experiment (thirty tons per day) was conducted.
Through operation of the field scale plant, a total of 2, 500tons of oil-contaminated soil was treated. Oil and salt contamination levels in the treated soil were both reduced below 2.5wt%. Salt content in the recovered oil from the soil washing process could be reduced to less than 3, 500ppm, and API was increased to 30°, when additional heat, solvent, water and emulsion breaker were used in an ancillary process.