Desorption ...
37 Investigation of Sulfolane Extraction, Analysis and Sorption/Desorption with Relevance to Alberta Forest Soils and Associated Groundwater Sheila Luther and Hugh Abercrombie, Matrix Solutions Inc. Nahid Hassanvand, Cooper Langford and Gopal Achari, University of Calgary Sulfolane is a natural gas sweetening compound designed to remove H2S, CO2 and other impurities from the gas stream. As it is highly water soluble, this compound has leached into groundwater from spills and landfills at some sour gas processing facilities in Western Canada. Sulfolane impacts have also been encountered in Alaska, parts of Australia and many other locations. Recently, Alberta Energy Regulator has required the oil and gas industry to evaluate the potential for sulfolane usage at midstream sites and, where its use is confirmed or suspected, assess, manage and/or remediate any impacts encountered. This has driven the need to refine methods of sulfolane extraction and analysis in soil and water, and to further understand the sorption/desorption mechanisms for this compound. This specific study is partly driven by the results from one site in the forested area of Alberta where there is a history of elevated sulfolane concentrations in soil and groundwater resulting from historical use. During previous investigations, sulfolane concentrations were encountered that exceeded Alberta Tier 1 Soil and Groundwater Remediation Guidelines (Tier 1; AEP 2016) in unexpected areas of the site, particularly at low concentrations in soil (≤1.5 mg/kg concentration). The cause of these unexplained trends is not fully understood. A literature review and experimental work are being completed to further research extraction methods, analytical techniques and sorption/desorption behavior of sulfolane. Two quality control (QC) analytical studies are being conducted. The first involved sending triplicate samples of soil and groundwater from the site to three testing laboratories for analysis. The second involves spiking soil and groundwater samples and sending to three testing laboratories for analysis. The goals of these QC studies are: 1) to quantify the variance in analytical results for sulfolane in soil and groundwater samples and determine to what degree they are similar or different; 2) if different, to determine if differences occur more frequently under certain conditions such as organic or mineral soil, groundwater, certain concentrations (high, medium, low), or with certain analytical methods. The sorption and desorption of sulfolane in organic and mineral soils is also being studied to further evaluate the transport behaviour of sulfolane in different soil matrices that are relevant to the subject site.
Nahid Hassanvand, MSc Nahid Hassanvand, obtained a B. Sc degree in Chemistry from University of Calgary in 2016. Currently, she is pursuing a M.Sc degree in Chemistry under the supervision of Drs. Cooper Langford and Gopal Achari.
Sheila Luther, PAg Ms. Sheila Luther is a Professional Agrologist with over 20 years of experience with environmental assessment and research projects with a focus on soil reclamation, contamination assessment and remediation. Her work experience includes contaminated soils assessment and remediation, preconstruction and postreclamation assessments for oil and gas industry sites, environmental monitoring, literature reviews, technology transfer and research on soilwatercontaminant interactions. She is a Principal Soil Scientist with Matrix Solutions Inc. and her current responsibilities include senior technical review, project management, client liaison and portfolio management, staff supervision, project coordination, report review and remediation program design and management.
Nahid Hassanvand, MSc Nahid Hassanvand, obtained a B. Sc degree in Chemistry from University of Calgary in 2016. Currently, she is pursuing a M.Sc degree in Chemistry under the supervision of Drs. Cooper Langford and Gopal Achari.
Sheila Luther, PAg Ms. Sheila Luther is a Professional Agrologist with over 20 years of experience with environmental assessment and research projects with a focus on soil reclamation, contamination assessment and remediation. Her work experience includes contaminated soils assessment and remediation, preconstruction and postreclamation assessments for oil and gas industry sites, environmental monitoring, literature reviews, technology transfer and research on soilwatercontaminant interactions. She is a Principal Soil Scientist with Matrix Solutions Inc. and her current responsibilities include senior technical review, project management, client liaison and portfolio management, staff supervision, project coordination, report review and remediation program design and management.
