The Environmental Impact of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: Mechanism of Extraction by Bio-Surfactant in a Microwave

Abstract

In N'Djaména, the use and marketing of certain hydrocarbons does not comply with any standard in force or with regulations provided for this purpose. Their evaporation and unregulated release into the wild significantly affects the ecosystem. The present work consists in developing a method of extraction from sediments polluted by bio surfactant (rhamnolipid) assisted by microwaves. The goal here is to look for the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in polluted sediments. The rhamnolipid used consists of monorhamnolipids and di-rhamnolipids, its emulsion index is 64.66% and is composed of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids having carbon numbers ranging from 12 to 18. We used the microwave micellar extraction process. It was made by keeping the concentration values fixed at 0.15 g/L and the power at 400 W and more. We observed a positive interaction of the rhamnolipid concentration factors and the power of the microwave to obtain the optimal conditions at the time of 50 S, at the concentration of 0.16 g/L and at the power of 443 W for a rate of optimal extraction of 0.91%. Chromatographic analysis by GC-MS of the optimum extracts allowed us to identify twelve (12) C10 to C43 n-alkanes and eight (8) PAHs. It emerges from this analysis that the rhamnolipid extracts seven (7) Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in equivalent proportions while the tween 80 extracts only four (4) Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons with a high proportion (80.02%) of benzo [a] antracene.