Lin Qi;Plagentz V;Schafer D;Dahmke A

;Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029, China.

activated carbon;aquifers;benzene;chemical precipitation;dissolved oxygen;groundwater;groundwater pollution;polluted soils;porosity;soil pollution;soil types;trichloroethylene;volatilization

The objectives of this study were to illustrate the reaction processes, to identify and quantify the precipitates formed, and to estimate the porosity losses in order to eliminate drawbacks during remediating monochlorobenzene (MCB) and trichloroethylene (TCE)-contaminated aquifers using the ORC-GAC-Fe0-CaCO3 system. The system consisted of four columns (112 cm long and 10 cm in diameter) with oxygen-releasing compound (ORC), granular activated carbon (GAC), zero-valent iron (Fe0), and calcite used sequentially as the reactive media. The concentrations of MCB in the GAC column effluent and TCE in the Fe0 column effluent were below the detection limit. However, the concentrations of MCB and TCE in the final calcite column exceeded the maximum contaminant level (MCL) under the Safe Drinking Water Act of the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) that protects human health and environment. These results suggested that partitioning of MCB and TCE into the gas phase could occur, and also that transportation of volatile organic pollutants in the gas phase was important. Three main precipitates formed in the ORC-GAC-Fe0-CaCO3 system: CaCO3 in the ORC column along with Fe(OH)2 and FeCO3 in the Fe0 column. The total porosity losses caused by mineral precipitation corresponded to about 0.24% porosity in the ORC column, and 1% in the Fe0 column. The most important cause of porosity losses was anaerobic corrosion of iron. The porosity losses caused by gas because of the production and entrapment of oxygen in the ORC column and hydrogen in the Fe0 column should not be ignored. Volatilization, precipitation and porosity losses were considered to be the main drawbacks of the ORC-GAC-Fe0-CaCO3 system in remediating the MCB and TCE-contaminated aquifers. Thus, measurements such as using a suitable oxygen-releasing compound, weakening the increase in pH using a buffer material such as soil, stimulating biodegradation rates and minimizing the plugging caused by the relatively high dissolved oxygen levels should be taken to eliminate the drawbacks and to improve the efficiency of the ORC-GAC-Fe0-CaCO3 system..