Electrochemical processes for in-situ treatment of contaminated soils. Annual progress report, September 1996--May 1997

'Soil samples from three industrial sites at two depths ranges (2--4 feet and 8--14 feet) were received and pertinent physico-chemical properties, such as pH, specific surface area, moisture content, organic matter content, hydraulic conductivity, cation exchange capacity (CEC), pH at zero point of charge (pH{sub zpc}), particle size distribution, organic contaminants and heavy metals fractionation were analyzed. Results show that clay and silt are the major components in the soil samples, which exhibits a relatively low hydraulic conductivity of about 10{sup -7} {approximately} 10{sup -8} cm/sec. The pH value of soil samples is in the neutral range (from pH 6.1 to 7.6) and its variation with depth is insignificant. Organic matter content is another important factor which affects soil properties such as specific surface area, chemical adsorption capacity and cation exchange capacity. Results indicate that the organic matter content ranges between 0.79% and 1.81%. The effective cation exchange capacity is from 13.8 to 21.2 meq/100 g. The values of moisture content, specific surface area and pH{sub zpc} range from 10.2--16.9%, 0.4--0.9 (m{sup 2}/g) and 2.18--2.60, respectively.