Uso de GPR na inspeção de solo potencialmente contaminado por hidrocarbonetos em um posto de combustível, Gurinhém-PB.

Abstract

Fuel retailers have been one of the main sources of contamination of soil and groundwater. The objective of this work is to demonstrate the advantages of the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) geophysical tool in monitoring potentially contaminated soil from storage tank leaks at a gas station and to evaluate the efficiency of the “Soil Removal” method in the disposal. of contamination plume caused by leaks from hydrocarbon storage tanks, previously applied by the fuel station. For the case study, a fuel station was selected in GurinhémPB. Nine (9) geophysical survey profiles were surveyed, with frequencies of 200 and 400 MHz, totaling approximately 400 m of survey, perpendicular to the underground storage tanks of gasoline and in the area of lower ground, theoretically favorable to the migration of contaminants. The GPR proved to be a noninvasive method with satisfactory penetration depth. The “Soil Removal” method that was applied to remediate the contamination previously detected in the area around the storage tanks proved to be efficient, since it considerably reduced the contamination and the leakage of the tanks was solved by changing them. One of the L08 acquisition lines presented a high resistivity anomaly, which could be correlated to eventual hydrocarbon contamination. Since the distance from the allegedly contaminated area to the pump and storage tank facilities is relatively large (approximately 30 m) to correlate contamination with a recent spill, it may be related to remnants of previous soil contamination prior to actions of remediation.