CONCURRENCE OF SOLUBILIZATION AND ADSORPTION IN MULTICOMPONENT SUSPENSIONS OF LAYER SILICATES

Interaction of different components can lead to synergistic or antagon istic effects in complex systems. The influence of surfactants on the transport properties of hazardous chemicals such as polycyclic aromati c hydrocarbons (PAH) in soil is considerable. Depending on type and co ncentration, surfactants may favor the immobilization or remobilizatio n of PAH. The decrease of adsorption and the amount of solubilization above the critical micelle concentration (cmc) can be enhanced by addi tion of oil. The results obtained by a new fluorescence spectroscopic method show that microemulsions might be useful in soil remediation pr ocesses.