Performance of Solid Organic Carbon Sources for In Situ Biological Denitrification in Groundwater

As the lack of carbon source is a key problem of in-situ denitrification in groundwater, choosing appropriate solid carbon source materials is very important. In this study, wheatstraw and sawdust were selected as potential carbon sources to evaluate the performance for in-situ biological denitrification in groundwater by three laboratory-scale column experiments operated at a flow rate of 2.0 cm3/min for 78 d. The results showed that sawdust was a suitable carbon source with less release of nitrogen compounds and relatively stable release of organic carbon, compared with wheatstraw, and was applicable for further use as a filling material in in-situ groundwater bioremediation.