The Effects of Spill Pressure on the Migration and Remediation of Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids in Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Aquifers

Zhou Cheng, Guoping Lu, Ming Wu (), Yanru Hao, Cehui Mo, Qusheng Li, Jianfeng Wu, Jichun Wu and Bill X. Hu
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Zhou Cheng: Guangdong Provincial Research Center for Environment Pollution Control and Remediation Materials, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Guoping Lu: Guangdong Provincial Research Center for Environment Pollution Control and Remediation Materials, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Ming Wu: Guangdong Provincial Research Center for Environment Pollution Control and Remediation Materials, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Yanru Hao: Guangdong Provincial Research Center for Environment Pollution Control and Remediation Materials, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Cehui Mo: Guangdong Provincial Research Center for Environment Pollution Control and Remediation Materials, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Qusheng Li: Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Jianfeng Wu: Key Laboratory of Surficial Geochemistry, Department of Hydrosciences, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210023, China
Jichun Wu: Key Laboratory of Surficial Geochemistry, Department of Hydrosciences, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210023, China
Bill X. Hu: Guangdong Provincial Research Center for Environment Pollution Control and Remediation Materials, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 17, 1-14

Abstract: The spill pressure of the contaminant source is an important factor affecting the amount, location, form, and behavior of the dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) that plume in a contaminated subsurface environment. In this study, perchloroethylene (PCE) infiltration, distribution and, remediation via a surfactant-enhanced aquifer remediation (SEAR) technique for a PCE spill event are simulated to evaluate the effects of the spill pressure of the contaminant source on the DNAPLs’ behavior in two-dimensional homogeneous and heterogeneous aquifers. Five scenarios with different spill pressures of contamination sources are considered to perform the simulations. The results indicate that the spill pressure of the contaminant source has an obvious influence on the distribution of DNAPLs and the associated efficiency of remediation in homogeneous and heterogeneous aquifers. As the spill pressure increases, more and more contaminants come into the aquifer and the spread range of contamination becomes wider and wider. Simultaneously, the remediation efficiency of contamination also decreases from 93.49% to 65.90% as the spill pressure increases from 33.0 kPa to 41.0 kPa for a heterogeneous aquifer with 200 realizations. The simulation results in both homogeneous and heterogeneous aquifers show the same influence of the spill pressure of the contaminant source on PCE behaviors in the two-dimensional model. This study indicates that the consideration of the spill pressure of the contaminant sources (such as underground petrol tanks, underground oil storage, underground pipeline, and landfill leakage) is essential for the disposal of contaminant leakage in the subsurface environment. Otherwise, it is impossible to accurately predict the migration and distribution of DNAPLs and determine the efficient scheme for the removal of contaminant spills in groundwater systems.

Keywords: spill pressure; contaminant source; migration; remediation; underground contaminant spills (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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