Real time monitoring of soil contamination with diesel fuel using photoionization detectors

Abstract Soil contamination is a very relevant environmental problem, which is directly connected with both groundwater and air contamination. Petroleum products represent often a major source of soil contamination. In this sense, leakage of diesel fuel can cause important environmental problems due to the persistence of it in contaminated soils and to its toxicity at low concentrations. Photoionization detectors (PID) have the ability to evaluate the ampleness of contamination by detection and quantification in real time of diesel fuel vapours. Finally, this achievement can lead to a rapid evaluation (in minutes) of soil contamination and will facilitate the application of most suitable remediation technologies. The purpose of this study was to simulate an accidental spill of diesel on the ground, with the aim to monitor the degree of volatilization of chemical compounds during six weeks. Thus, the reasons behind the low volatility of diesel fuel in the investigated soil samples, based on the trend of volatilization and on soil characteristics as well