Numerical modeling of oxygen exclusion experiments of anaerobic bioventing

A numerical and experimental study of transport phenomena underlying anaerobic bioventing (ABV) is presented. Understanding oxygen exclusion patterns in vadose zone environments is important in designing an ABV process for bioremediation of soil contaminated with chlorinated solvents. In particular, the establishment of an anaerobic zone of influence by nitrogen injection in the vadose zone is investigated. Oxygen exclusion experiments are performed in a pilot scale flow cell (2 x 1.1 x 0.1 m) using different venting flows and two different outflow boundary conditions (open and partially covered). Injection gas velocities are varied from 0.25 x 10(-3) to 1.0 x 10(-3) cm/s and are correlated with the ABV radius of influence. Numerical simulations are used to predict the collected experimental data. In general, reasonable agreement is found between observed and predicted oxygen concentrations. Use of impervious covers can significantly reduce the volume of forcing gas used, where an increase in oxygen exclusion efficiency is consistent with a decrease in the outflow area above the injection well.     

Petroleum mass removal from low permeability sediment using air sparging/soil vapor extraction: impact of continuous or pulsed operation

Air sparging and soil vapor extraction (AS/SVE) are innovative remediation techniques that utilize volatilization and microbial degradation to remediate petroleum spills from soils and groundwater. This in situ study investigated the use of AS/SVE to remediate a gasoline spill from a leaking underground storage tank (UST) in the low permeability, clayey soil of the Appalachian Piedmont. The objectives of this study were to evaluate AS/SVE in low permeability soils by quantifying petroleum mass removal rates, monitoring vadose zone contaminant levels, and comparing the mass extraction rates of continuous AS/SVE to 8 and 24 h pulsed operation. The objectives were met by collecting AS/SVE exhaust gas samples and vadose zone air from multi-depth soil vapor probes. Samples were analyzed for O₂, CO₂, BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene), and total combustible hydrocarbon (TCH) concentrations using portable hand meters and gas chromatography. Continuous AS/SVE was effective in removing 608 kg of petroleum hydrocarbons from low permeability soil in 44 days (14.3 kg day⁻¹). Mass removal rates ranged from 2.6 times higher to 5.1 times lower than other AS/SVE studies performed in sandy sediments. BTEX levels in the vadose zone were reduced from about 5 ppm to 1 ppm. Ten pulsed AS/SVE tests removed 78 kg in 23 days and the mean mass removal rate (17.6 kg day⁻¹) was significantly higher than the last 15 days of continuous extraction. Pulsed operation may be preferable to continuous operation because of increased mass removal and decreased energy consumption.