A Comprehensive Review of Hydrocarbon Contaminated Soil Behavior, Geotechnical Properties and Potential Remediation

Soil contamination due to urban and industrial activities has caused significant land degradation and changes in the geotechnical properties of soils. Among many contaminants, hydrocarbons pose severe threats not only from an engineering point of view but are also hazardous to the environment. This review article critically analyzes the essential aspects of different hydrocarbon types as a contamination source in various soil types and their implications in the geotechnical design. The modifications of geotechnical properties require an in-depth investigation, especially at the micro-scale, by assessing the soil particle interaction with hydrocarbons. The hydrocarbon compounds possess the ability to alter the morphological characteristics of soil particles, which, in turn, influences the shear mobilization in soils. Furthermore, several remediation techniques, such as biological, chemical, physical, or thermal treatment methods, are available to solidify, remove or immobilize hydrocarbons. However, limitations exist due to the applicability of some techniques. Taking these considerations into account, the primary purpose of this paper is to create a consensus about how hydrocarbons interact with different soils, what are the triggers of these interactions, which geotechnical properties are mostly affected, which remediation techniques will be more effective, and how quickly the method can be applied.

城市与工业活动引发的土壤污染，已造成严重的土地退化，并改变了土壤的岩土工程特性（geotechnical properties）。在各类污染物中，烃类（hydrocarbons）不仅从工程视角带来严峻威胁，还对环境具有危害性。本综述批判性地分析了作为不同土壤类型中污染源的各类烃类的核心特征，及其对岩土工程设计的影响。针对岩土工程特性的改变，需开展深入研究——尤其需在微观尺度下，对土壤颗粒与烃类的相互作用进行评估。烃类化合物可改变土壤颗粒的形态特征，进而影响土体的剪切强度发挥（shear mobilization）。此外，现有多种修复技术（remediation techniques）可用于固化、去除或固定烃类，涵盖生物处理、化学处理、物理处理及热解处理等方法。但部分技术受限于适用场景，仍存在诸多局限性。综合上述考量，本文的核心目标在于达成以下共识：烃类与不同土壤的相互作用机制、此类相互作用的触发因素、受影响最显著的岩土工程特性、更为高效的修复技术，以及各类修复方法的应用时效。