Results of a Four-Year In Situ Bioventing Demonstration

Abstract

During early February of 1990, a ruptured pipe at a Burlington Northern Railroad (BNRR) fueling pumphouse in Alliance, Nebraska resulted in over 60,000 gallons of No. 2 diesel fuel spilling onto the surrounding soil. Several months later, a subsurface investigation indicated that soils were contaminated to a depth of over 65 feet below ground surface (bgs) and were in a position to impact groundwater, which was observed approximately 70 feet bgs. State regulatory agencies requested that BNRR develop and implement a remedial action plan to treat these diesel-contaminated soils and protect local groundwater. Parsons Engineering Science, Inc. (Parsons ES) was retained for this work and, after evaluating a variety of remediation technologies, recommended using soil bioventing methods to begin the removal of volatile benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) compounds and the long-term biodegradation of all fuel residuals. Parsons ES first designed and implemented a bioventing pilot test to determine soil properties such as air permeability, and to assess the potential for both volatilization and long-term biodegradation of diesel fuel residuals at the site. Pilot test results confirmed that bioventing was feasible for the remediation of this site, and a full-scale bioventing system was installed on the site in September 1991. This system has operated continuously for over 4 years. BNRR personnel have been responsible for weekly system checks, and Parsons ES has been responsible for semi-annual respiration testing and for soil sampling to determine the level of cleanup achieved during the first 4 years of in situ bioventing. This document summarizes the work completed to date and the 4-year findings of this innovative technology demonstration.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1996
Accession Number
ADP017716

Entities

People

  • Douglas C. Downey
  • John W. Ratz
  • Peter R. Guest

Organizations

  • Parsons Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Availability
  • Bacteria
  • Biodegradation
  • Contamination
  • Demonstrations
  • Diesel Fuels
  • Engineering
  • Extraction
  • Flow Rate
  • Fuel Consumption
  • Fuels
  • Groundwater
  • Hydrocarbons
  • Molecular Weight
  • Monitoring
  • Test Methods
  • Workshops

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Groundwater Contamination Remediation.