Effect of nitrate addition on biorestoration of fuel-contaminated aquifer: Field demonstration
A spill of JP-4 jet fuel at the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station in Traverse City, Michigan, contaminated a water-table aquifer. An infiltration gallery (30 ft X 30 ft) was installed above a section of the aquifer containing 700 gal JP-4. Purge wells recirculated three million gallons of ground water per week through the infiltration gallery at a rate designed to raise the water table above the contaminated interval. Ground water containing ambient concentrations was first recirculated for 40 days. Concentrations of benzene in monitoring wells beneath the infiltration gallery were reduced from 760 to <1 micrograms/1. Concentrations of toluene, ethylbenzene, m,p-xylene, and o-xylene were reduced from 4500 to 17,840 to 44,2600 to 490, and 1400 to 260 micrograms/1, respectively. Average core concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m,p-xylene, and o-xylene were reduced from 0.84 to 0.032, 33 to 0.13, 18 to 0.36, 58 to 7.4, and 26 to 3.2 mg/kg, respectively. Ground water amended with nitrate (10 mg/1 nitrate-nitrogen) and nutrients was then recirculated for 76 days. Final core concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m,p-xylene and o-xylene were 0.017, 0.036, 0.019, 0.059, and 0.27 mg/kg, respectively. Final aqueous concentrations were <1 micrograms/1 for benzene and toluene, 6 micrograms/1 for ethylbenzene, and 20 to 40 micrograms/1 for the xylene isomers, in good agreement with predicted values based on residual fuel content and partitioning theory. Although alkylbenzene concentrations have been substantially reduced, the test plot is still contaminated with the weathered fuel. Based on stoichiometry, approximately 10 times more nitrate was consumed than could be accounted for by BTX degradation alone, indicating that other compounds were also degraded under denitrifying conditions.
- Research Organization:
- Environmental Protection Agency, Ada, OK (United States). Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Lab.
- OSTI ID:
- 6373926
- Report Number(s):
- PB-92-110444/XAB
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Pub. in Ground Water, v29 n4 p571-580 Jul/Aug 91. Prepared in cooperation with NSI Technology Services Corp., Ada, OK., Traverse Group, Inc., Traverse City, MI., and Solar Universal Technologies, Inc., Traverse City, MI. Ground Water Remediation Div
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AQUIFERS
CONTAMINATION
BENZENE
BIODEGRADATION
MICHIGAN
OIL SPILLS
NITRATES
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
TOLUENE
XYLENES
DENITRIFICATION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
JET ENGINE FUELS
MONITORING
WATER POLLUTION CONTROL
ALKYLATED AROMATICS
AROMATICS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONTROL
DECOMPOSITION
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
FEDERAL REGION V
FUELS
HYDROCARBONS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION CONTROL
USA
020900* - Petroleum- Environmental Aspects
540320 - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology