A Rapid Decision Support Tool for Estimating Impacts of a Vadose Zone Volatile Organic Compound Source on Groundwater and Soil Gas

Diminishing rates of subsurface volatile contaminant removal by soil vapor extraction (SVE) oftentimes warrants an in-depth performance assessment to guide remedy decision-making processes. Such a performance assessment must include quantitative approaches to better understand the impact of remaining vadose zone contamination on soil gas and groundwater concentrations. The spreadsheet-based Soil Vapor Extraction Endstate Tool (SVEET) software functionality has recently been expanded to facilitate quantitative performance assessments. The updated version, referred to as SVEET2, includes expansion of the input parameter ranges for describing a site (site geometry, source characteristics, etc.), an expanded list of contaminants, and incorporation of elements of the Vapor Intrusion Estimation Tool for Unsaturated-zone Sources software to provide soil gas concentration estimates for use in vapor intrusion evaluation. As part of the update, SVEET2 was used to estimate the impact of a tetrachloroethene (PCE) vadose zone source on groundwater concentrations, comparing SVEET2 results to field-observed values at an undisclosed site where SVE was recently terminated. PCE concentrations from three separate monitoring wells were estimated by SVEET2 to be within the range of 6.0–6.7 μg/L, as compared to actual field concentrations that ranged from 3 to 11 μg/L PCE. These data demonstrate that SVEET2 can rapidly provide representative quantitative estimates of impacts from a vadose zone contaminant source at field sites. In the context of the SVE performance assessment, such quantitative estimates provide a basis to support remedial and/or regulatory decisions regarding the continued need for vadose zone volatile organic compound remediation or technical justification for SVE termination, which can significantly reduce the cost to complete for a site.     

Used Motor Oil as a Source of MTBE, TAME, and BTEX to Ground Water

Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), the widely used gasoline oxygenate, has been identified as a common ground water contaminant, and BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes) have long been associated with gasoline spills. Because not all instances of ground water contamination by MTBE and BTEX can be attributed to spills or leaking storage tanks, other potential sources need to be considered. In this study, used motor oil was investigated as a potential source of these contaminants. MTBE in oil was measured directly by methanol extraction and gas chromatography using a flame ionization detector (GC/FID). Water was equilibrated with oil samples and analyzed for MTBE, BTEX, and the oxygenate tert-amyl methyl ether (TAME) by purge- and-trap concentration followed by GC/FID analysis. Raoult's law was used to calculate oil-phase concentrations of MTBE, BTEX, and TAME from aqueous-phase concentrations. MTBE, TAME, and BTEX were not detected in any of five new motor oil samples, whereas these compounds were found at significant concentrations in all six samples of the used motor oil tested for MTBE and all four samples tested for TAME and BTEX. MTBE concentrations in used motor oil were on the order of 100 mg/L. TAME concentrations ranged from 2.2 to 87 mg/L. Concentrations of benzene were 29 to 66 mg/L, but those of other BTEX compounds were higher, typically 500 to 2000 mg/L.     

Identification of Pathways for Hydrogen Gas Migration in Fault Zones with a Discontinuous,Heterogeneous Permeability Structure and the Relationship to Particle Size Distribution of Fault Materials

Previous studies have reported that high concentrations of H₂ gas are released from active fault zones. Experimental studies suggest that the H₂ gas is derived from the reaction of water with free radicals formed when silicate minerals are fractured at hypocenter depths during fault activities. However, the pathways for migration of deep-seated fluids to surface are still unknown. In this study we performed quick, multipoint H₂ gas measurements across a fault zone using a portable gas monitor and a hand drill. The fault zone studied includes a smectite-rich fault core dividing two clearly distinguishable damage zones: granite cataclasite and welded tuff fault breccia. The measurements show that H₂ gas emissions collected in 2–3 h sampling periods from start of measurement range from 320.3 to 446.2 ppm/min in the granite cataclasite and 60.5 to 137.8 ppm/min in the welded tuff fault breccias. Negligible quantities of H₂ gas could be collected from the fault core. Particle size distribution analyses of fault rocks indicate that the granite cataclasite tends to be rich in particles that are finer, i.e., less cohesive and easy to disaggregate, which leads to the inference that the granite cataclasite has high permeability. Based on the H₂ gas measurements and the particle size distribution analyses, the H₂ gas is considered to have migrated in permeable damage zones mostly by advection with groundwater. Multipoint H₂ gas measurement will be effective in qualitative delineation of variations in permeability of regional structures.