Wetting properties of biosurfactant (rhamnolipid) with synthetic surfactants mixtures in the context of soil remediation

Abstract Wetting properties of synthetic surfactant Rokanol NL6, biosurfactant JBR 425 and their mixture have been investigated. On the basis of these investigations, the ability of used surfactants to remove the synthetic base oil (PAO6) from sandy soil and clay loam was evaluated. Surfactant solutions were applied for soil flushing in batch experiments. The results show that synthetic surfactant addition worsens physicochemical properties of pure biosurfactant but exhibits much higher oil removal efficiency than biosurfactant does.