Complete dissolution of trichloroethylene in saturated porous media

Journal Article · Sat Aug 15 04:00:00 EDT 1998 · Environmental Science and Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/es970965r· OSTI ID:653158

Imhoff, P T ^[1]; Arthur, M H; Miller, C T ^[2]

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1. Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
2. Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States). Dept. of Environmental Sciences and Engineering

Porous media containing trichloroethylene (TCE) trapped at residual saturation in otherwise water-saturated porous media were flushed with water to asses the dissolution rate of TCE as TCE volumetric fractions approached zero. Careful attention to column design and experimental methods limited the effect of column materials on effluent concentrations. Effluent concentration measurements during TCE dissolution are presented for a glass bead porous medium, a mixed sand, and a treated soil. Effluent concentrations were measured as they decreased below 5 {micro}g/L, the maximum allowable contaminant level, in the glass bead and mixed sand media. Effluent concentrations from columns packed with treated soil were measured down to 20 {micro}g/L. Solvent extraction of the treated soil after the dissolution experiments revealed that extremely small quantities of TCE were retained in this medium. Results from parallel experiments on columns exposed to only aqueous TCE suggest that TCE remaining in the treated soil columns was sorbed to the porous medium. Existing power-law models were capable of describing TCE dissolution in these media, if the exponent on the TCE volume fraction was modified appropriately.

• OSTI ID: 653158
• Journal Information: Environmental Science and Technology, Journal Name: Environmental Science and Technology Journal Issue: 16 Vol. 32; ISSN ESTHAG; ISSN 0013-936X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
DISSOLUTION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
GROUND WATER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
POROUS MATERIALS
SOILS
WATER POLLUTION