Enhanced Dissolution of Trichloroethene: Effect of Carbohydrate Addition and Fermentation Processes
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 9
Abstract
Remediation of source areas is challenging because lingering contaminants are often present as nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) and sorbed mass, and therefore difficult to remove via biodegradation or other commonly used remedial methods. Experimental results indicate that enhanced dissolution of a model NAPL, trichloroethene (TCE), can occur through the addition and/or subsequent fermentation of a dilute molasses solution. Enhanced mass transfer occurs by two mechanisms, depending upon whether the molasses solution is fresh or has fermented. The addition of fresh molasses worked to increase TCE solubility , thereby increasing mass transfer from the NAPL phase. Mixing TCE NAPL with a fermented molasses solution, however, increased TCE mass flux via the formation of a NAPL/aqueous phase emulsion. In addition, fermented liquid may have also decreased the soil partitioning coefficient of TCE, indicating that enhanced transfer of sorbed mass to the aqueous phase could also occur in the presence of fermented molasses. These results provide guidance on how remedial systems may be optimized to increase NAPL and sorbed-mass dissolution and are therefore important, particularly when bioremediation is used to polish residual source zones.
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Acknowledgments
Research was funded in part by a University of Minnesota Water Resources Center Grant. D. Nelson was supported by a Sommerfeld Fellowship awarded by the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Minnesota. Field samples were provided by Dr. Fred Payne and Dr. Rachel Steinberger of ARCADIS.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 9 • September 2009
Pages: 861 - 868
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Jul 3, 2008
Accepted: Jan 5, 2009
Published online: Aug 14, 2009
Published in print: Sep 2009
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