• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.3-9
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• 2011

Partitioning tracers have been used with non-partitioning, inert tracer such Br, for detection, estimation, and monitoring of remediation performance of the subsurface contaminated with nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs). Various partitioning tracers with different partition coefficients between aqueous and nonaqueous phase liquids can be used to determine the hydraulic conductivity, dispersivity, and residual mass of NAPLs in the subsurface soil matrices. Temporal moment-generating equations were used to analyze the field pilot-scale test results. The pilot-scale tests included conservative tracer tests and partitioning tracer tests. Analyses of nonaqueous phase liquid distribution and characteristics of groundwater bearing soil media were performed.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.19-27
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• 1996

Nonaqueous phase liquids(NAPL) not readily dissolved in water exist as a separate fluid phase. Groundwater contamination by NAPL such as organic solvents and petroleum hydrocarbons becomes major public concerns because of their long-term persistence in the subsurFace and their ability to contaminate large volumes of wate. Dense.-than-water NAPL(DNAPL) spilled into the subsurface penetrate through the saturated zone and ultimately form DNAPL pools on the bottom of the aquifer. The dissolution of DNAPL from these pools depends on the molecular diffusion coefficient, the vertical dispersivity, the groundwater velocity, the solubility, and the pool length. In this study, the vertical transverse dispersion coefficients for simulating the dissolution of DNAPL from such pools were obtained from the dissolution experiment. Under the experimental conditions used, the vertical transverse dispersion coefficients calculated were 1.86$cm^2$/day, 2.90$cm^2$/day and 4.51$cm^2$/4ay for seepage velocities of 59.2cm/day, 94.3cm/day and 158.0cm/day, respectively. And the vertical transverse dispersivity was 0.03024cm.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.47-54
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• 2007

The partitioning tracer method has been studied as an alternative method for detecting and characterizing the distribution of nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) contaminants in subsurface. The reliability of the partitioning tracer method depends on accurate measurements of partition coefficients of the partitioning tracers between water and NAPLs. In this study, partition coefficients of several alcohol tracers between water and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and BTEX mixtures are estimated using the modified approach of equivalent alkane carbon number (EACN). Agreements between the measured and estimated partition coefficients were generally observed in experiments. Based on these results, it is confirmed that the partition coefficients of tracers are readily obtained without experiments if the EACN values for the tracers and LNAPLs are known.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.159-162
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• 2002

Innovative and nondestructive characterization techniques have been developed to locate and quantify nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) in the vadose and saturated zones in the subsurface environment. One such technique is the partitioning interwell tracer test (PITT). The PITT is a simultaneous displacement of partitioning and non-partitioning tracers through a subsurface formation. Partitioning tracers will partition into the NAPL during their transport through NAPL-contaminated formations. Mean travel times of partitioning and non-partitioning tracers are used to estimate the quantity of NAPL encountered by the displaced tracer pulse. Travel times are directly proportional to the partitioning coefficient and the volume of NAPL contacted in the subsurface environment. This paper discusses the conceptual background, design and implementation of PITTs. (This document has not been subjected to Agency review and therefore does not necessarily reflect the views of the Agency, and no official endorsement should be inferred.)

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.46-52
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• 2008

Oils and chlorinated solvents leaking to the subsurface are entrapped in the soil pore and these are called as nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPL). NAPL entrapped in porous media acts as a continuous source for surface and ground water contamination. This study visualized dissolution of trichloroethylene (TCE) entrapped in porous media and quantified the velocity of TCE dissolution using an image analysis technique. As the water velocity increased, the level of dissolution increased. The results imply that a TCE contaminated region having a high infiltration rate and groundwater velocity may result in severe groundwater contamination. Microscopic images of TCE entrapped in porous media showed that TCE present in the preferential flow paths was easily dissoluted into the water phase. However, TCE present in the stagnant flow region was visualized for long time. The results imply that TCE would be still present in the soil if TCE is detected in goundwater.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.171-176
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• 2000

Bioremediation of hazardous hydrophobic organic compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), is a major environmental concern due to their toxic and carcinogenic properties. Due to their hydrophobicity, the hydrophobic organic compounds are mainly associated with the soil organic matter or nonaqueous-phase liquids. A major question concerns the relationships between biodegradation and sorption. This work develops and utilizes a non- steady state model for evaluating the interactions between sorption and biodegradation of phenanthrene, a 3-ring PAH compound, in soil-slurry systems. The model includes sorption/desorption of a target compound, its utilization by microorganisms as a primary substrate existing in the dissolved phase and/or the sorbed phase in biomass and soil, oxygen transfer, and oxygen utilization as an electron acceptor. Biodegradation tests with phenanthrene were conducted in liquid and soil-slurry systems. The soil-slurry tests were performed with very different mass transfer rate: fast mass transfer in a flask test at 150 rpm, and slow mass transfer in a roller-bottle test at 2 rpm. In the slurry tests, phenanthrene was degraded more rapidly than in liquid tests, but with a similar rate in both slurry systems. Modeling analyses with several hypotheses indicate that a model without biodegradation of compound sorbed to the soil was not able to account for the rapid degradation of phenanthrene, particularly in the roller bottle slurry test. Reduced mass-transfer resistance to bacteria attached to the soil is the most likely phenomenon accounting for rapid sorbed-phase biodegradation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2006.04a
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• pp.115-118
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• 2006

The partitioning tracer method has been studied as an alternative method for characterizing aquifers contaminated by nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs). Accurate partition coefficients of tracers partitioning between NAPL and water are needed to improve the reliability of the partitioning tracer method. In this research, partition coefficients of alcohol tracers partitioning between benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) compounds and water are estimated from using the approach of equivalent alkane carbon number (EACN). General agreement was observed in between the measured and estimated partition coefficients. Based on these results we can verify that the EACN approach is suitable for estimating the partition coefficient.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.13-21
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• 2008

Partitioning tracer method is a useful tool to characterize large domains of the aquifers contaminated with light nonaqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs). Sorption of the partitioning tracers to the organic matter content of soil can potentially influence the efficacy of partitioning tracer method. LNAPL-water partitioning coefficients of tracers ($K_{nw}$), measured by static method, showed linear relationship. Sorption isotherm tests were conducted to evaluate the sorption capacity of the soils packed in the columns and the results were appropriately represented by Freundlich sorption isotherm. The sorption of tracers proportionally increased with the increase of the organic matter content of the soil. Laboratory experiments were conducted in four columns each packed with soils of different organic matter contents to determine the potential interference effects of sorption to soil organic matter content and correction factors for the errors in estimation of LNAPLs by partitioning tracer method. Though there were no contaminants added, breakthrough curves from columns packed with mixture of Jumunjin standard sand and organic matter showed separation of tracers. Columns were then contaminated to residual saturation with kerosene and breakthrough curves were obtained. The results show that sorption of tracers to soil organic matter leads to an increase in the retardation factor (R) and hence, to an overestimation of the saturation of LNAPLs. A relation between the percentage of organic matter content and the corresponding percentage error in the estimation of NAPLs has been developed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.690-698
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• 2010

Contamination of groundwater resources by organic chemicals has become an issue of increasing environmental concern. Surfactant-enhanced aquifer remediation (SEAR) is widely recognized as one of the most promising techniques to remediate organic contaminations in-situ. Solutions of surfactant or surfactant with polymer are used to dramatically expedite the process, which in turn, may reduce the treatment time of a site compared to use of water alone. In the design of surfactant-based technologies for remediation of organic contaminated aquifers, it is very important to have a considerable analysis using extensive numerical simulations prior to full-scale implementation. This study investigated the formation and flow of microemulsions during SEAR of organic-contaminated aquifer using the finite difference model UTCHEM, a three-dimensional, multicomponent, multiphase, compositional model. The remediation process variables considered in this study were the sequence of injection fluids, the injection and extraction rate, the concentrations of polymer in surfactant slug and chase water, and the duration of surfactant injection. For each variable, temporal changes in injection and production wells and spatial distributions of relative saturations in the organic phase were compared. Cleanup time and cumulative organic recovery were also quantified. The study would provide useful information to design strategies for the remediation of nonaqueous phase liquid-contaminated aquifers.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.1095-1101
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• 2008

Nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPL) are the continuous source for soil and groundwater contamination. The first objective of the study was to verify the effect of co-injection of cosolvent and air on NAPL removal from soil-column system. The second objective of the study was to investigate the effect of alcohol-partitioning property on the NAPL removal by the co-injection process of cosolvent and air. Enhanced removal of benzene-NAPL by the co-injection process of ethanol and air was also verified within the soilcolumn system. However, the co-injection process of Tert-butanol (TBA) and air showed no enhancement of benzene-NAPL removal. This study found that the viscous pressure of TBA was so higher than the capillary pressure and TBA easily displaced the benzene-NAPL and air present in soil pores. Air of the coinjection process did not work for NAPL removal but hindered NAPL mobilization. NAPL partitioning property and viscous pressure of cosovlent should be considered for application of the co-injection process of cosolvent and air.