Oil-Polluted Sands in a Fluidized Bed

This paper investigates the hydrodynamic behavior of oil-polluted sands in a cold bubbling bed. The minimum fluidization velocity of sand increased with the oil content of the bed. The quality of fluidization was assessed by measured and calculated coefficients and also by the power spectral density analysis of the pressure fluctuations. The increase of the dominant frequency at high contents of pollution indicated the occurrence of cohesive forces, leading to the deterioration of the quality of fluidization. Results of this study are useful for the design of industrial-size fluidized-bed remediation plants for oil-contaminated sands and soils.