ANALYSIS OF THE PERCOLATION BEHAVIOR OF PETROLEUM DERIVATIVES IN SANDYSOIL OF THE ALAGOAS COAST

Abstract

Oil and its derivatives are applied in different ways in society and their commercialization, handling, and disposal raise concerns regarding the potential for contamination of soils and groundwater in cases of spillage. The present work aims to evaluate the behavior of the percolation of petroleum derivatives in sandy areas of the Alagoan coast. This analysis used automotive lubricating oil spill tests to evaluate the effect of viscosity (0w20 – 47.6 cSt, 5w30 – 64 cSt and 20w50 – 134.7cSt) and granulometry in sandy media (Praia do Saco – 3.06 μm in diameter, Cruz das Almas – 5.06 μm in diameter, and Barra de Sao Miguel – 5.47 μm in diameter). While verifying the influence of physicochemical characteristics of the soils, values of the average Sauter diameter, distribution of the sizes of the sediments, and the values of the total saturation (100%) of water were determined for all conditions analyzed. Thus, results show that, after determining the physicochemical characteristics of the soils and the oils applied in the bench tests, the viscosity of the oils and the values of the particle diameters of the sandy soils influence the percolation behavior. This influence was determined by the percolation behavior of the oils in sandy media, because for the analysis in a soil with a diameter of 3.06, the radial percolation was more significant for the oil with higher viscosity (20w50 - 134.7cSt) and in the axial percolation the behavior was more present for the lower viscosity oil (0w20 - 47.6 cSt). That is, in a sandy soil of the same diameter, radial flow increases with increasing viscosity and axial flow with the lowest viscosity. In addition, the radial flow is more expressive in smaller granulometries and the axial flow in larger granulometries for the same viscosity condition. However, it is of fundamental importance to evaluate the front of advance of the contaminants and, thus, to know the extent of the damage, so that the measures of environmental remediation are adopted.