DETERMINATION AND QUANTIFICATION OF NON-AQUEOUS PHASE LIQUID MIXTURES IN ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA
It is important to recognize the presence of Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids (NAPLs) in soils at a waste site in order to design and construct a successful remediation system. NAPLs often manifest as a complex, multi-component mixture of organic compounds that can occur in environmental media, such as vadose zone soil, where the mixture will partition and equilibrate with soil particles, pore vapor, and pore water. Complex organic mixtures can greatly complicate the determination and quantification of NAPL in soil due to inter-media transfer. NAPL thresholds can also change because of mixture physical properties and can disguise the presence of NAPL. A unique analytical method and copyrighted software have been developed at the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site that facilitates solution of this problem. The analytical method uses a classic chemistry approach and applies the principals of solubility limit theory, Raoult's Law, and equilibrium chemistry to derive an accurate estimation of NAPL presence and quantity. The method is unique because it calculates an exact result that is mass balanced for each physical state, chemical mixture component, and mixture characteristics. The method is also unique because the solution can be calculated on both a wet weight and dry weight basis--a factor which is often overlooked. The software includes physical parameters for 300 chemicals in a database that self-loads into the model to save time. The method accommodates up to 20 different chemicals in a multi-component mixture analysis. A robust data display is generated including important parameters of the components and mixture including: NAPL thresholds for individual chemical components within the mixture, mass distribution in soil for each physical state, molar fractions, density, vapor pressure, solubility, mass balance, media concentrations, residual saturation, and modest graphing capabilities. This method and software are power tools to simplify otherwise tedious calculations and eliminate guesswork for site characterizations.
- Research Organization:
- SRS
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-96SR18500
- OSTI ID:
- 891996
- Report Number(s):
- WSRC-STI-2006-00202
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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