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Biogeochemical Stability of Contaminants in the Subsurface Following In Situ Treatment
Citation:
WILKIN, R. T. Biogeochemical Stability of Contaminants in the Subsurface Following In Situ Treatment. Presented at The RemTEC'09 - Remediation Technologies Summit, Atlanta, GA, March 03 - 05, 2009.
Impact/Purpose:
The purpose is to cover monitoring approaches that rely on sample collection, analysis and geochemical modeling as a means for meeting groundwater cleanup goals.
Description:
In recent years, innovative treatment technologies have emerged to meet groundwater cleanup goals. In many cases these methods take advantage of the redox behavior of contaminant species. For example, remedial technologies that strategically manipulate subsurface redox conditions may emphasize reductive processes, as in subsurface permeable reactive barriers, or, oxidative processes, as in hydrogen peroxide injection. The speciation and mobility of inorganic contaminants can be directly impacted by redox conditions (e.g., arsenic, selenium) or can be indirectly tied to redox conditions in cases where complexation or metal precipitation (e.g., Pb, Cd, Ni) occurs with some other redox-sensitive element (e.g., sulfur). A consequence of these methods is the solid-phase buildup of contaminants in the subsurface, ideally within spatially well-defined reaction zones. Understanding the chemical form and stability of these sequestered contaminants is necessarily an important aspect of long-term performance monitoring and site stewardship. This presentation will cover monitoring approaches that rely on sample collection, analysis and geochemical modeling.