At a former oil refinery in Italy, leaks from several large Aboveground Storage Tanks (ASTs) had caused the soil to become impacted with fuel. Concentrations of up to 3,000 mg/kg of petroleum hydrocarbons were measured in the unsaturated soil within the immediate vicinity of the ASTs. Preliminary activities consisted of physical removal of several ASTs, but additional activities were required to address the residual contamination present in unsaturated soil below and around the tanks’ area.

The site required a rapid and significant reduction in the contaminant mass within the shallow soils without excavation and disposal due to scale and cost. PersulfOx was selected as the treatment technology for a large-scale pilot study in order to provide safe and effective chemical oxidisation of the contamination.