Novel pilot-scale washing process and equipment for removing Cr(VI) from contaminated soil

In this study, a novel horizontal rotating soil washing process and equipment were developed and tested for pilot-scale remediation of soils from a site polluted by chromium ore process residue. Operating parameters, including cylinder rotational velocity, cylinder tilt angle, heating temperature and liquid/soil ratio, were investigated. The Taguchi method was used for the experiment design, and the standard L16 orthogonal array with four parameters and four levels was selected for optimising the operating parameters. Optimal removal efficiency was achieved at cylinder rotational velocity of 2.5 rpm, cylinder tilt angle of 2.6°, heating temperature of 200 °C and liquid/soil ratio of 8. The efficiency of citric acid as an extractant in the novel process was compared with that of water. The analysis of the residual Cr(VI) concentration of the soil shows that citric acid could efficiently remove 22.89 % more Cr(VI) than water in one-stage washing. The residual Cr(VI) concentration in the soil after the three-stage washing is as low as 26.16 mg/kg, which meets the screening levels for soil environmental risk assessment of sites in Beijing City (30 mg/kg). Further study is currently underway to optimise the novel process and equipment for commercial-scale use.