HR: 1340h
AN: H23D-1618 [Abstracts]
TI: Modeling cis-Dichloroethene Partitioning in Tetrachloroethene-NAPL Using Intra-aggregate Diffusion Sorption Models
AU: * Adams, J K
EM: C08Jason.Adams@usafa.edu
AF: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
US Air Force Academy, 2354 Fairchild Drive, Suite 6J-159, USAF Academy, CO 80840-6232, United States
AU: Douglas, S R
EM: Scott.Douglas@tufts.edu
AF: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Tufts University, 200 College Avenue, 113 Anderson Hall, Medford, MA 02155, United States
AU: Ramsburg, C A
EM: andrew.ramsburg@tufts.edu
AF: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Tufts University, 200 College Avenue, 113 Anderson Hall, Medford, MA 02155, United States
AU: Christ, J A
EM: john.christ@usafa.edu
AF: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
US Air Force Academy, 2354 Fairchild Drive, Suite 6J-159, USAF Academy, CO 80840-6232, United States
AB:
Microbial facilitated dechlorination is being employed for treatment and polishing of source zones containing
chlorinated ethenes. Metabolic reductive dechlorination converts tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene
(TCE) to lesser chlorinated ethenes and ultimately ethene. Where metabolic reductive dechlorination occurs in
proximity to nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL), the process may enhance the rate of NAPL dissolution by
increasing the concentration driving force. Accumulation of cis-dichloroethene (cis-DCE) due to incomplete
dechlorination, however, is commonly noted in reports of both laboratory- and field-scale studies of microbially
enhanced dissolution. There is growing evidence that cis-DCE may partition into NAPL present within the source
zone, thereby, enriching the organic phase with cis-DCE. Partitioning of cis-DCE into the NAPL may create a
persistent source of cis-DCE contamination. A series of batch and column laboratory experiments undertaken to
investigate this phenomenon provide a data set to investigate the fundamental processes controlling cis-DCE
partitioning in PCE-NAPL. Analytical solutions previously developed to model sorption due to intra-aggregate
diffusion were employed here to simulate column data. These models include aqueous-phase and non-
aqueous phase resistance to mass transfer. Simulation results suggest that cis-DCE partitioning is dominated
by the rate of diffusion within the entrapped NAPL ganglia, indicating that intra-NAPL diffusion may be a controlling
mechanism for dechlorination rates observed in DNAPL source zones. Further insights were gained through a
sensitivity analysis employing these analytical models. Preliminary conclusions from this study suggest that
these rate limitations should be incorporated into multiphase compositional simulators used to describe
metabolic reductive dechlorination.
DE: 1803 Anthropogenic effects (4802, 4902)
DE: 1832 Groundwater transport
DE: 1847 Modeling
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting