In Situ Bioremediation of Chlorinated Solvents Source Areas with Enhanced Mass Transfer

The overall objective of this demonstration was to show that facilitating enhanced mass transfer allows bioremediation to be applied cost-effectively to chlorinated solvent source areas in groundwater. Two hydraulically isolated treatment cells were used to compare different whey powder injection strategies and help quantify their performance. A phased approach ensured experimental control was sufficient to measure with confidence the effects of different whey injection concentrations on mass transfer. This demonstration represents the first time the phenomenon of enhanced mass transfer in chlorinated solvent source areas as a function of whey injection concentration has been thoroughly documented at the field scale. The results far exceeded expectations, and demonstrate the potential impact enhanced mass transfer during bioremediation can have not only on source areas, but also on downgradient plumes. The original document contains color images.