Electrokinetic Decontamination of Solid Polluted Matrices and Its Economic Feasibility in the Czech Republic

The paper presents basic principles of the electrokinetic remediation technique and its potential applications in removing contaminants from polluted soil and solid residues from coal or waste combustion. The currently insignificant commercial applicability of this technique is attributed mainly to the high heterogeneity of contaminated materials and very low energy efficiency caused by the preferential transport of non-contaminating components in an electric field. To increase its commercial attractiveness, a combination of electrokinetic decontamination with additional economic effects was proposed, which was demonstrated by an operational test carried out at a landfill site.