Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2009NE177B

A Solute Transport System for Systematically Evaluating Remedial Technologies for Chlorinated Solvent-Contaminated Groundwater

Institute: Nebraska
Year Established: 2009 Start Date: 2009-03-01 End Date: 2010-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $11,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $60,438

Principal Investigators: Steve Comfort, Yusong Li

Abstract: Contamination of soil and water by chlorinated solvents is widespread problem nationally and world-wide. The overall goal of this research addresses one of the most pressing needs regarding the cleanup of sites contaminated with chlorinated solvents. That is, to develop remedial treatments that can remove chlorinated solvents from low-permeable zones in contaminated aquifers. To accomplish this goal, we propose to construct a column and 2-D tank transport system that mimics the movement and behavior of chlorinated solvents in heterogeneous media containing transmissive and low-permeability zones. This transport system will allow us to methodically produce the phenomena known as rebound, which is the release of chlorinated solvents from low permeability zones following the removal of solvents from transmissive zones. Once we can repeatedly produce rebound with our transport system, we will then validate and calibrate our proposed transport model describing this process and systematically evaluate, develop and fine-tune remedial treatments to remove chlorinated solvents from low permeable zones in contaminated aquifers.