Practical Techniques for Groundwater & Soil Remediation

Evan K. Nyer

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2019
• eBook ISBN: 9781351422475
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Environmental Science
• Index: Biological Sciences

Practical Techniques for Groundwater and Soil Remediation is a compilation of articles by the author that were printed in the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) magazine Groundwater Monitoring Review. The book provides valuable data, emphasizes the practical aspects of remediation, presents results from actual remediation programs, and helps readers prepare remediation strategies. The book also includes detailed technical data on treatment equipment performance and the costs associated with their design and operation. A unique feature of the book is that it also contains data from treatment systems that did not work.Practical Techniques for Groundwater and Soil Remediation is a "must have" source of invaluable data and tips that will be useful for all groundwater and soil remediation professionals.

SECTION II

Properties of the Contaminants

There are two important uses for the chemical properties of organic compounds at a remediation site. The first use is as part of the investigation. The properties of the compounds show the interaction of the organics with the environment around the organics. In fact, the only way that we understand what the data means is by interpreting the concentration of a compound in relation to the properties of that compound.

The best example of this use is retardation factors. We know that organic compounds do not migrate at the same rate as the free water in the aquifier. The chemical interaction of the organic compounds with the soil particles of the aquifer cause the organics to be retarded as they move through the aquifer. Retardation is a fundamental factor of contaminant treatment design. All remediations consider this chemical property when dealing with plume movement or recovery.

Other examples of the use of the chemical properties in investigations include the adsorption of compounds on soil and the volatility of compounds in the vadose zone. Adsorption can be used to determine the amount of material that is retained by the soil in the vadose zone and never reaches the aquifer. Volatility can be used to explain contaminant concentration measured in the vadose zone gas phase in relation to groundwater and soil concentrations.

A second important use of the chemical properties is in the design of the treatment systems that are used to remove the compounds from ground water and soils. Specific data is readily available on the treatability properties of each compound. This data can be used to prepare a preliminary analysis, preliminary designs, and cost estimates on a treatment method for a site.

An example of this use is the Henry’s Law constant for the design of air strippers. This section lists the Henry’s Law constant for fifty organic compounds. Based upon this data, the designer can estimate the removal efficiency that an air stripper will have on a particular compound. Using this chemical property, the designer can determine whether an air stripper should be studied further or eliminated as a possible treatment method. Carbon adsorption and biological treatment can be evaluated by the same method. This is a very cost effective method to evaluate treatment systems. Based upon chemical properties, most treatment methods can be selectively eliminated before significant amounts of money have been spent on the feasibility study.

This section provides the information necessary for these evaluations. The properties of most of the organic compounds that will be found at contaminated sites are included in these chapters. The first discusses chemical mixtures like gasoline. An important point to remember when dealing with a spill of a material like gasoline is that it is made up of several compounds. Each compound has its own properties. Any remediation design has to encompass all of the compounds (and their properties) if it is to be successful. The remaining chapters give the detailed information on the chemical properties and discusses how to utilize them in a project.

CHAPTER 2

Relating the Physical and Chemical Properties of Petroleum Hydrocarbons to Soil and Aquifer Remediation

Evan K. Nyer and George J. Skladany

This chapter is devot...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Preface
• Author
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Section I Starting the Project
• Section II Properties of the Contaminants
• Section III Developing Treatability Data
• Section IV Developing Detailed Designs
• Section V Unit Operations
• Section VI Selection of Treatment Alternatives
• Section VII Practical Problems
• Section VIII In Situ and Natural Biochemical Remediations
• Contributors
• Index