Air Sparging
Description
Air sparging
is the process of injecting air directly into groundwater.
Air sparging remediates groundwater by volatilizing
contaminants
and enhancing biodegradation.
It is akin to blowing bubbles from a straw into a bowl of water. As the bubbles
rise, the contaminants are removed from the groundwater by physical contact
with the air (i.e., stripping) and are carried up into the unsaturated zone
(i.e., soil). As the contaminants move into the soil, a soil vapor
extraction
system is usually used to remove vapors. The addition of oxygen to contaminated
groundwater and soils also enhances biodegradation of contaminants in and above
the water table, as it acts as a nutrient for bacteria. There are several
enhancements to air sparging.
Air
sparging is sometimes referred to as in situ
air
stripping. When used in combination with soil vapor extraction (SVE), air
bubbles carry vapor phase contaminants to a SVE system which removes them. The
SVE system controls vapor plume migration by creating a negative pressure in
the unsaturated zone through a series of extraction wells. Using air sparging
as an SVE enhancement technology increases contaminant movement and enhances
oxygenation in the subsurface which increases the rate of contaminant
extraction.
Enhancements
The first enhancement is called cometabolic air
sparging. Propane, which is injected along with air, acts as another nutrient
for microorganisms.
Another method is a newly patented technology,
Bio-SpargeTM. It addresses a major
problem of traditional pump-and-treat
systems. When a pump-and-treat system is employed, it pumps contaminated water
to the surface and pulls the groundwater down into a cone of depression. At the
former upper extent of the groundwater (called the capillary fringe),
most of the sorbed contaminant remains. In many instances, this area contains
the most heavily contaminated soil. When groundwater pumping ceases, the
groundwater returns to its former level and becomes re-contaminated by the
sorbed material. This is called a rebound.
Bio-SpargeTM induces desorption
within the capillary fringe by injecting a heated mixture of air, water, nutrients
and bacteria. A downgradient well recovers the air for reinjection. As the air
mixture moves across the contaminated zone, bacteria, with the aid of the
nutrients, destroy many of the contaminants. Since the system is a closed loop,
no release
to the environment occurs. That is, there is no need for off-gas
treatment and no need for an air emission permit.
Another method is called the C-Sparge.
C-Sparging periodically injects an ozone/air mixture in conjunction with a
pulsing pump. This is a two-phase process. First, fine bubbles are injected
into the groundwater to extract dissolved volatile
organic
compounds (VOCs)
out of contaminated groundwater. Second, the ozone
contained within the bubbles reacts rapidly with the volatile
compounds to decompose
them into end products consisting of carbon dioxide, dilute hydrochloric acid,
and water.
Limitations and Concerns
Air flow through the saturated zone
may not be uniform.
There can be uncontrolled movement of
potentially dangerous vapors.
Air sparging depends on two processes. One helps
to biodegrade the contaminants by adding nutrients or other amendments, so
transformation products should be monitored. The other process removes
remaining contaminants from the groundwater, possibly emitting them into the
air.
Air injection wells must be designed for
site-specific conditions. Depth of contaminants and specific site geology must
be considered. Soil heterogeneity may cause some zones to be relatively
unaffected.
Applicability
The
target contaminant groups for air sparging are VOCs and fuels in groundwater.
Air sparging is generally more applicable to the lighter gasoline constituents
such as benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylene. It is less applicable to
heavier constituents such as diesel fuel and kerosene.
Technology Development Status
Air sparging has been demonstrated at numerous
sites. It is a commercial technology.
Web Links
http://www.frtr.gov/matrix2/section4/4-34.html
http://www.serdp-estcp.org/content/download/3774/59748/file/199810.pdf
http://www.serdp-estcp.org/content/download/3762/59652/file/CU-9810-FR-01.pdf
http://www.clu-in.org/techfocus/default.focus/sec/Air_Sparging/cat/Overview/
http://www.clu-in.org/download/toolkit/sparge_o.pdf
http://www.clu-in.org/download/contaminantfocus/dnapl/Treatment_Technologies/Air_Sparg_TR-2193.pdf
http://www.serdp-estcp.org/content/download/3733/59410/file/CU-9808-FR-01.pdf
Other Resources and Demonstrations
None