Assessment of selected surfactants for enhancing C mineralization of an oily waste

A laboratory incubation experiment to assess (a) the effectiveness of six surfactants as emulsifiers in enhancing oily waste carbon mineralization rates (CMR), (b) the influence of ion charge of the surfactants on CMR, and (c) the biodegradation of the surfactants in soil, is described. The CMR and the net cumulative C mineralization (CCM) data indicated that among the six surfactants evaluated two were significantly effective in enhancing CMR through emulsification. They were CEDEPHOS FA-600, an anionic surfactant mixture of mono- and di- organo phosphate esters and IGEPAL CO-603, a nonionic ethoxylated alkylphenol.