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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Hydrocarbon contamination in groundwaters: Removal by alcohol flooding. Technical completion report, 1 May 1988-30 April 1990

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5107476
Present pump-and-treat remediation strategies employed to remove hydrocarbon contaminants that exist in groundwater as nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) can displace only a fraction of the contaminant due to the trapping effects of capillary forces. These effects however are shown to be effectively eliminated by injecting alcohol solutions through the contamination zone. A laboratory column apparatus was developed to simulate NAPL contamination, free product recovery, and residual NAPL removal by alcohol flooding. Columns were packed with either glass beads or a South Carolina aquifer soil, and contaminated in preliminary experiments with benzene (a light NAPL) and in final experiments with trichloroethylene (TCE) (a dense NAPL). Proper scaling of the column was found to be critical in ensuring that the laboratory results adequately represented field-scale conditions.
Research Organization:
Clemson Univ., SC (United States). Water Resources Research Inst.
OSTI ID:
5107476
Report Number(s):
PB-94-145844/XAB; WRRI--134; CNN: DI-14-08-0001-G1588
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English