Assessing the effect of chlorinated hydrocarbon degradation in aquitards on plume persistence due to back-diffusion

The Science of the Total Environment
Philipp WannerDaniel Hunkeler

Abstract

This modeling study aims to investigate how reactive processes in aquitards impact plume persistence in adjacent aquifers. For that purpose the migration of a trichloroethene (TCE) plume in an aquifer originating from dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) source dissolution and back-diffusion from an underlying reactive aquitard was simulated in a 2D-numerical model. Two aquitard degradation scenarios were modeled considering one-step degradation from TCE to cis-dichloroethene (cDCE): a uniform (constant degradation with aquitard depth) and a non-uniform scenario (decreasing degradation with aquitard depth) and were compared with a no-degradation scenario. In the no-degradation scenario, a long-term TCE tailing above the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) caused by back-diffusion after source removal was observed. In contrast, in the aquitard degradation scenarios, TCE back-diffusion periods were shorter, whereby the extent of back-diffusion reduction depended on the aquitard degradation depth and the rate. For high degradation rates (half-life: 30-80days), an aquitard degradation depth greater than 65cm prevented TCE plume persistence after source removal but generated a long-term tailing above the MCL for the produced cDCE. For...Continue Reading

References

Apr 15, 2008·Journal of Contaminant Hydrology·Erica L Difilippo, Mark L Brusseau
Feb 19, 2011·Journal of Contaminant Hydrology·Mio TakeuchiTakeshi Komai
May 31, 2017·Journal of Contaminant Hydrology·Minjune YangJames W Jawitz

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Citations

Nov 20, 2020·Environmental Science and Pollution Research International·Abhay Guleria, Sumedha Chakma
Apr 3, 2020·Journal of Contaminant Hydrology·Héloïse A A Thouement, Boris M Van Breukelen
Jan 1, 2020·Ground Water Monitoring & Remediation·Michael C BrooksJunqi Huang

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