Abstract: Method for the water removal from a surface, which comprises covering the surface with a composition having specific weight higher than that of the water, and subsequently removing water from the composition by skimming, such composition comprising a (per)fluoropolyether having molecular weight comprised between 300 and 1500 and a non ionic additive having a (perfluoropolyethereal structure similar to that of the solvent, linked to an hydrogenated part of hydrophilic type, the molecular weight of the (per)fluorinated part is comprised between 400 and 1200 and the ratio by weight between (per)fluorinated part and hydrogenated part is comprised between 1.5 and 3.5.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provides for decontamination of soil from contaminates such as polychlorinated biphenyls. The method involves (a) admixing a short chain alcohol and a long chain alcohol to provide a solvent composition, (b) admixing the solvent composition with the contaminated soil to extract the contaminant from the soil into the solvent to form contaminated solvent, (c) separating the soil from the contaminated solvent, (d) washing of the decontaminated soil with water to remove residual solvent from the soil, and (e) distillation of the contaminated solvent to separate the reusable short chain alcohol as a light fraction from a heavy fraction containing the long chain alcohol and the contaminant.