The appliction of DCT technologies at laboratory scale

Remediation of polluted sites has become a crucial issue because of the increasing global awareness of pollution, overexploitation of natural resources, and adverse effects of unclean processes on environment and human health. Waste and soil remediation technologies can be classified according to their development. The DCT technology that will be presented in the present research is the electrochemical treatment. Direct currents are applied across electrodes inserted in the soil to generate an electric field for mobilization and extraction of contaminants and for biogeochemical modifications of polluted soils and slurries. The use of electric fields has emerged as an innovative method for in situ restoration of contaminated hazardous waste sites. In this category can be included also the petroleum contaminated soils. In the present paper some laboratory tests are presented in order to underline the most important parameters that influence the efficiency of the electrochemical treatment.