Contaminant Mass Transfer from NAPLs to Water Studied in a Continuously Stirred Flow-Through Reactor

Abstract

AbstractThe release of nonaqueous-phase liquids (NAPLs) from porous media to groundwater is a widespread environmental problem. The mass transfer of individual NAPL components controls both the extent of groundwater contamination and the persistence of the residual NAPL phase. In order to quantify this key process, small-scale experimental studies on NAPL-water mass transfer were performed in a dynamic system mimicking environmental conditions with “clean” water continuously flowing through the NAPL pool. To describe this process, a modified simulation method was developed and validated by the experimental data. The experimental system consisted of a custom-designed flow cell (with NAPL and water) connected to the peripheral equipment (e.g., pump, water source). This continuously stirred flow-through reactor was used to perform mass transfer experiments with simple and complex model NAPL–water systems. To simulate the experimental data (concentration versus time profiles of individual NAPL compounds), an ...