Influence of organic acid and organic base interactions on interfacial properties in NAPL--water systems

Interfacial properties play an important role in determining the transport and distribution of waste nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) in groundwater. To develop a better understanding of the solute interactions governing the interfacial properties of waste NAPLs, this study examined the interfacial tension and contact angle of a tetrachloroethylene/water/quartz system containing octanoic acid and dodecylamine as a function of pH. The results showed that interactions between these solutes affected the system's interfacial properties significantly, producing a positive synergism. For example, octanoic acid, which by itself does not affect wettability, could reverse the wettability of quartz in the presence of dodecylamine. The significant reduction in interfacial tension and increase in contact angle around neutral pH was, based on the results of speciation modeling, attributed to the formation of a complex composed of the protonated organic base and deprotonated organic acid, whose formation also peaks around neutral pH. Thus, measures of the content of only one class of compounds, such as the base number, are inadequate descriptors of a NAPL's ability to alter wettability.