Dynamics of MTBE-degrading activity in porous media using a large-scale laboratory experiment |
| |
Authors: | Luis E Lesser |
| |
Institution: | (1) Department of Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA;(2) Present address: Lesser y Asociados S.A., Rio Guadalquivir #3, 76020 Queretaro, QRO, Mexico |
| |
Abstract: | Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is an oxygenated organic compound that tends to form large groundwater contamination plumes.
If bioaugmentation is used as a remediation technique, the question of the mobility of the bioactive zone (BAZ) with time
is of interest. The objective of this experiment was to study the spatial redistribution of MTBE-biodegradation activity through
time, following the injection of a bacterial culture in a homogeneous porous media, at high pressures and concentrations.
The experiment was performed using a large-scale aquifer physical model, which can incorporate physicochemical heterogeneities
similar to those found in the field, under controlled laboratory conditions. The experimental tank was filled with 1.0-mm-diameter
glass beads to represent a homogeneous high hydraulic conductivity porous medium. During inoculation, the bacterial culture
was distributed in a circular pattern. Initially it appeared that the BAZ was located in the upstream portion of the inoculated
zone, where oxygen was available in conjunction with the inoculated bacteria and MTBE. With time, the BAZ moved upgradient
through the whole tank towards the inlet. This implies the successful movement of bacteria from the inoculation area against
advective flow into previously sterile zones of the tank. A mass balance showed that dissolved oxygen concentrations were
likely not a limiting factor during the experiments. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|