Patent ID: 8758629

Claim:
A method for separating a hydrocarbon contaminant from a contaminated solid, the contaminated solid comprising a solid substrate and the hydrocarbon contaminant, the method comprising: providing an environmentally benign extractant selected from the group consisting of a terpene, an isoparaffin, an alpha olefin, an internal olefins, an ester, and a biodiesel, mixing the environmentally benign extractant with the contaminated solid to produce a treated solid wherein the hydrocarbon contaminant is separable from the solid substrate, providing an oleophilic absorber, wherein the oleophilic absorber comprises an oleophilic material selected from the group consisting of crumb rubber, modified crumb rubber, thermoplastic elastomers, and polymers and copolymers of styrene, butadiene, isoprene, ethylene, and vinyl acetate; mixing the oleophilic absorber with the treated solid to extract the hydrocarbon contaminant from the solid substrate onto the oleophilic absorber, thereby forming a spent oleophilic absorber which comprises the hydrocarbon contaminant, and separating the spent oleophilic absorber from the treated solid, thereby separating the hydrocarbon contaminant from the solid substrate.