Simulating transport and removal of xylene during remediation of a sandy aquifer

Abstract

Xylene, originating from a spill, is present both as a nonaqueous-phase liquid (NAPL) at residual saturation near the water table, and as a dissolved groundwater component contaminating a sandy aquifer beneath an abandoned refinery. Three remediation wells are in operation on the site to prevent further xylene migration in the groundwater. Field observations indicate that microbially-mediated xylene degradation and oxygen and nitrate reduction occur in the aquifer. To realistically simulate dissolved xylene migration at this site, a three-dimensional numerical flow and transport model incorporating biochemical multispecies interactions and xylene dissolution from the NAPL has been developed. In the calibration process the variable contact area between the NAPL and groundwater and the vertical transverse dispersivity were identified as crucial parameters controlling the fate of xylene. The simultaneous modeling of a whole set of related reactive species made it also possible to quantify the observed biodegradation. Results indicate that it contributes in the same order of magnitude to total xylene removal than does extraction by the wells. The calibrated model will be used to assist in the design of an in situ bioremediation scheme, where biodegradation in the aquifer is enhanced by injection of an electron acceptor.