Heterogeneous depletion of BTEX compounds in jet fuel contaminated site

Abstract

The partitioning of soluble compounds of LNAPL in groundwater is the most common scenario of release of organic contaminants in aquifers. The efficiency of this process depends of several factors, the main interfacial area LNAPL / water. In this work has been established and tested a preliminary conceptual model that includes the processes that govern the partitioning of BTEX compounds in an area contaminated with traped jet fuel in porous media. Empirically it was found that the highest percentage of aromatic compounds LNAPL are situated in the central portion of the source area, where free phase thicknesses in monitoring wells are greatest. Although relations involved in mass transfer are well established, this study is the first to demonstrate from field evidences that there is a more significant mass loss in the marginal region of area source in its central portion. The results presented in this work has strong implications for quantifying the amount of BTEX compounds present in sub-surface, the mass balance in problems involving natural attenuation, the optimization of remediation systems and the mathematical modeling of solute transport.