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PERFORMANCE OF LABORATORY FLOW-THROUGH COLUMN SYSTEMS SIMULATING DECHLORINATION OF TRICHLOROETHYLENE IN GROUND WATER BY A TREE MULCH BIOWALL
Citation:
SHEN, H. AND JOHN T. WILSON. PERFORMANCE OF LABORATORY FLOW-THROUGH COLUMN SYSTEMS SIMULATING DECHLORINATION OF TRICHLOROETHYLENE IN GROUND WATER BY A TREE MULCH BIOWALL. Presented at 230th ACS National Meeting, Washington, DC, August 28 - September 01, 2005.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
The U.S. Air Force has developed a novel remedial technology for treatment of ground water that is contaminated with chlorinated solvents. The contamination is treated in a reactive barrier constructed with plant mulch. The barrier is constructed by excavating a trench across the plume perpendicular to ground water flow. The trench is backfilled with a mixture of woody plant tissue (mulch) and sand to hold plant tissue in place. Components in the mulch act as carbon and energy sources to support reductive dechlorination of the chlorinated solvents. As a plume of contamination moves through the barrier, the contaminants are removed by biodegradation. A laboratory column study was conducted to simulate the flow of ground water through the biowall and the aquifer material immediately down gradient of the biowall. The column study was an attempt to replicate the biowall operation under the field conditions and the results may provide important design parameters. The preliminary results show that trichloroethylene at the concentration of 2 mg/L in the influent was reduced below the drinking water standard in the effluent.