Abstract
A chalk fractured aquitard beneath an industrial site is subjected to
intense contamination due to percolation of contaminants from the
different facilities operating at the site. In order to reduce further
contamination, draining trenches were excavated and filled with coarse
gravel (3-4 cm in diameter) forming a porous medium, to which the
contaminated groundwater discharges from the fractures surrounding the
trenches. This research is aimed at establishing a biodegrading process
of high efficiency and performance within the draining trenches. The
research includes both field and laboratory experiments. An experimental
setup of five columns (50 cm length and 4.5 cm in diameter) was
constructed under highly controlled conditions. Over the course of the
experiments, the columns were filled with different particle sizes and
placed in a temperature controlled chamber. Filtered groundwater (0.2
µm) from the site groundwater, enriched by a model contaminant
carbofuran (CRF), was injected to the columns; as two of the columns
were inoculated by CRF degrading microorganisms native in the site's
groundwater, two columns were inoculated by CRF degrading bacteria from
the external environment, and one column was used as a control. During
the experiment, measurements were taken from different locations along
each column. These include: (a) CRF concentration and (b) hydraulic
pressure and solution viscosity (in order to obtain the changes in
permeability). A tracer test using uranine was carried out in parallel,
in order to obtain the changes in hydraulic parameters. Correlating CRF
concentration variations to changes of hydraulic parameters enable the
deduction due to the effect that biological activity (under different
temperature regimes) has on the hydraulic properties of the porous
medium and its effect on the process of contaminant groundwater bodies'
remediation. Preliminary results suggest that although biodegradation
occurs, microbial activity has minor effect on the hydraulic properties
of the porous medium under the explored conditions.
Original language | English GB |
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Pages | 2910 |
State | Published - 1 Apr 2015 |
Event | GU General Assembly 2015 - Vienna, Vienna, Austria Duration: 12 Apr 2015 → 17 Apr 2015 |
Conference
Conference | GU General Assembly 2015 |
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Country/Territory | Austria |
City | Vienna |
Period | 12/04/15 → 17/04/15 |