Field Validation of the NUFT Code for Subsurface Remediation by Soil Vapor Extraction

Abstract

Soil vapor extraction (SVE) is a widely-used method for remediation of contaminants in the unsaturated, or vadose, zone. SVE removes volatile contaminants by extracting gases from the subsurface. The pressure gradients necessary to drive gas flow are limited by at most one atmosphere of vacuum. Therefore, a common adjunct to SVE is the injection of fresh air into the subsurface at a distance from the extraction wells in order to increase overall gas pressure gradients, and, hence, flow rates. SVE has also been used for saturated zone remediation by first pumping the water table down to expose free phase contaminants. The selection of a vadose zone remediation method depends on a variety of site parameters. The type of contaminant is a major factor. Obviously, the selection of SVE as a method makes sense only for volatile contaminants since, otherwise, gas phase transport would be impossible. Bioventing is often a cost-effective candidate for contaminants that biodegrade easily in an aerobic environment, such as petroleum hydrocarbons. Bioventing shares some similarity to SVE, except that the flow rates are usually much lower. Whereas, the main goal of bioventing is to provide oxygen to the micro-organisms that break-down the contaminant; the main goal ofmore » SVE is physical removal. Biodegradation may be, for some contaminants, an important side benefit of SVE. However, bioventing and other forms of bioremediation are not considered to be effective for chlorinated vadose zone contaminants, such as trichloroethylene (TCE), which does not biodegrade readily in an aerobic environment. Soil excavation is a viable remediation method for the shallow spills where there are no existing important man-made structures. Otherwise, SVE is often the most appropriate and widely used remediation method for VOC's in the vadose zone.« less