A novel method for measuring the evaporation of contaminant liquids from sands

A novel experimental system, electrodynamic levitation, is used to measure the evaporation of liquids from microparticles of sand. The levitator is used to measure the evaporation rate of diethylphthalate (DEP) from microparticles of Saudi Arabian sand at 1 atm pressure and 25 degrees C. Evaporation experiments were conducted for both inland- and coastal-sand microparticles, the diameter of which is 50 microm. The DEP-evaporation rate is determined from gravimetric changes in the DEP-sand-mixture particle, the weight of which is directly proportional to the levitating electric-field intensity. From telemicroscopical observations, it is found that, when the sand particle is enclosed in DEP liquid, the sand-DEP-mixture particle evaporates like a pure DEP droplet. However, when sufficient DEP liquid has evaporated and the DEP is adsorbed into the sand microparticle, the DEP evaporation rate is reduced by a factor of 3-5 as compared with a pure DP droplet.