Investigations into the application of a combination of bioventing and biotrickling filter technologies for soil decontamination processes—A transition regime between bioventing and soil vapour extraction

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials Vol. 170; no. 2; pp. 711 - 715
• Main Authors: Magalhães, S.M.C., Ferreira Jorge, R.M., Castro, P.M.L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 30.10.2009; Elsevier
• Subjects: Air flow; Applied sciences; Atmospheric pollution; Bioreactors; Bioremediation; Biotechnology; Biotrickling filter; Bioventing; Decontamination; Decontamination - methods; Decontamination. Miscellaneous; Environmental Pollution - prevention & control; Environmental Restoration and Remediation; Exact sciences and technology; Extraction; Filtration; Gases; Hydrocarbons; Natural gas; Outlets; Petroleum; Pollution; Soil (material); Soil and sediments pollution; Soil decontamination; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Toluene; Toluene - analysis; Vapour; Biotrickling filter; Bioremediation; Bioventing; Toluene; Soil decontamination; Oil spill; Stripping; Biotechnology; Gas emission; In situ; Soil pollution; Pollutant emission; Petroleum; Air injection; Air flow; Decontamination; Volatilization; Water content; Air pollution; Aromatic compound
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2009.05.008

Bioventing has emerged as one of the most cost-effective in situ technologies available to address petroleum light-hydrocarbon spills, one of the most common sources of soil pollution. However, the major drawback associated with this technology is the extended treatment time often required. The present study aimed to illustrate how an intended air-injection bioventing technology can be transformed into a soil vapour extraction effort when the air flow rates are pushed to a stripping mode, thus leading to the treatment of the off-gas resulting from volatilisation. As such, a combination of an air-injection bioventing system and a biotrickling filter was applied for the treatment of contaminated soil, the latter aiming at the treatment of the emissions resulting from the bioventing process. With a moisture content of 10%, soil contaminated with toluene at two different concentrations, namely 2 and 14 mg g soil −1, were treated successfully using an air-injection bioventing system at a constant air flow rate of ca. 0.13 dm 3 min −1, which led to the removal of ca. 99% toluene, after a period of ca. 5 days of treatment. A biotrickling filter was simultaneously used to treat the outlet gas emissions, which presented average removal efficiencies of ca. 86%. The proposed combination of biotechnologies proved to be an efficient solution for the decontamination process, when an excessive air flow rate was applied, reducing both the soil contamination and the outlet gas emissions, whilst being able to reduce the treatment time required by bioventing only.