• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.51-61
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• 1997

The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of Pumping-and-Treatment system (PTS) for remediation of the saturated zones contaminated with NAPLs. A simulation is carried out for the removal of DNAPLs (denser-than-water non-aqueous phase liquids) and LNAPLS (lighter-than-water non-aqueous phase liquids) distributing at and below the water table. In the study, LNAPL and DNAPL are assumed to be n-hexane and 1,1-dichloroacetone, respectively. The model system studied consists of four heterogeneous soil layers with different permeabilities. Groundwater flows through the bottom layer and a pumping well is located under the initial water table. The time-driven deformation of the water table and removal efficiency of contaminants are estimated after vacuum application to the inlet of the well. In the calculation, FVM (Finite Volumetric Method) with SIMPLEC algorithm is applied. Results show that removal efficiencies of both DNAPL and LNAPL are negligible for the first 5 days after the PTS operation. However, when the cone-shape water table is formed around the inlet of the pumping well, the rapid removal rate is obtained since NAPLs migrate rapidly through the curvature of the water table. The removal efficiency of DNAPL is estimated to be higher than that of LNAPL due to the gravity. The results also show that the fluctuation or cone-shaped depression of the water table enhances the removal efficiency of NAPLs in saturated zones. The simulation results could provide a basis of the PTS design for the removal of NAPLs in saturated zones.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.690-698
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• 2010

Contamination of groundwater resources by organic chemicals has become an issue of increasing environmental concern. Surfactant-enhanced aquifer remediation (SEAR) is widely recognized as one of the most promising techniques to remediate organic contaminations in-situ. Solutions of surfactant or surfactant with polymer are used to dramatically expedite the process, which in turn, may reduce the treatment time of a site compared to use of water alone. In the design of surfactant-based technologies for remediation of organic contaminated aquifers, it is very important to have a considerable analysis using extensive numerical simulations prior to full-scale implementation. This study investigated the formation and flow of microemulsions during SEAR of organic-contaminated aquifer using the finite difference model UTCHEM, a three-dimensional, multicomponent, multiphase, compositional model. The remediation process variables considered in this study were the sequence of injection fluids, the injection and extraction rate, the concentrations of polymer in surfactant slug and chase water, and the duration of surfactant injection. For each variable, temporal changes in injection and production wells and spatial distributions of relative saturations in the organic phase were compared. Cleanup time and cumulative organic recovery were also quantified. The study would provide useful information to design strategies for the remediation of nonaqueous phase liquid-contaminated aquifers.