Demonstration of combined zero-valent iron and electrical resistance heating for in situ trichloroethene remediation

Environ Sci Technol. 2011 Jun 15;45(12):5346-51. doi: 10.1021/es104266a. Epub 2011 May 17.

Abstract

The effectiveness of in situ treatment using zero-valent iron (ZVI) for nonaqueous phase or significant sediment-associated contaminant mass can be limited by relatively low rates of mass transfer to bring contaminants in contact with the reactive media. For a field test in a trichloroethene (TCE) source area, combining moderate-temperature subsurface electrical resistance heating with in situ ZVI treatment was shown to accelerate TCE treatment by a factor of about 4 based on organic daughter products and a factor about 8 based on chloride concentrations. A mass-discharge-based analysis was used to evaluate reaction, dissolution, and volatilization processes at ambient groundwater temperature (~10 °C) and as temperature was increased up to about 50 °C. Increased reaction and contaminant dissolution were observed with increased temperature, but vapor- or aqueous-phase migration of TCE out of the treatment zone was minimal during the test because reactions maintained low aqueous-phase TCE concentrations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Chlorides / analysis
  • Electric Impedance
  • Environmental Restoration and Remediation / methods*
  • Halogenation
  • Heating*
  • Iron / chemistry*
  • Kinetics
  • Soil / chemistry
  • Temperature
  • Time Factors
  • Trichloroethylene / isolation & purification*
  • Volatile Organic Compounds / analysis
  • Water Supply / analysis

Substances

  • Chlorides
  • Soil
  • Volatile Organic Compounds
  • Trichloroethylene
  • Iron