Chlorinated Solvents

AquAeTer was retained by its client to implement a bench-scale, field-scale pilot study and eventually a full-scale treatment system for chlorinated solvents at the site area. An in-situ aerobic bioremediation approach was selected after bench-scale results from tests of both aerobic and anaerobic bioremediation methods demonstrated an inoculant mixture of an oxygen and carbon source. Based on the success of this process, AquAeTer acquired a patent for this treatment system.

AquAeTer installed a series of upgradient injection wells, in-plume injection wells, and a boundary series of injection wells to serve as a biological curtain to treat any chlorinated constituents migrating offsite. Over a two-year period, AquAeTer’s Biostimulant was continuously injected into this complex karst groundwater system and chlorinated constituents steadily declined. One series of groundwater wells had a chlorinated constituent that was at or near the solubility limit. A pump and treat system was designed to remove this hot spot. A carbon treatment system was designed and constructed on-site to remove the chlorinated solvent to below the risk-based concentration.

AquAeTer provided the following services to its client for this sampling and reporting project:

• Hydrogeologic characterization report
• Collection of groundwater samples
• Bench-scale testing at AquAeTer’s laboratory
• Pilot-scale and full-scale bioremediation at the site
• Implemented a pump and treat program at the hot spot groundwater locations
• Designed and constructed a carbon system for treating the pumped groundwaters
• Implemented vapor extraction wells for vadose zone soil hot spots
• Continuous maintenance and injection of biostimulant over a 2-yr period