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Air sparging and bioventing
Air sparging is a very effective method of remediating sites contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and causes minimum disturbance to site activities. It is most effective at sites with homogeneous, high permeability soils and unconfined aquifers. Air sparging results in the physical removal of VOCs from below the water table (e.g. components of petrol, benzene and toluene). Compressed air is injected into the ground generally using a regular grid of injection boreholes. As the air rises through the formation, it volatilises and removes adsorbed VOC in soils as well as strips dissolved contaminants from groundwater. Air sparging systems are usually used in combination with SVE to capture any vapours that may be produced.
Bioventing is the process of aerating soils to stimulate in-situ biological activity and promote bioremediation. It is often the most cost-effective and efficient technology available for vadose zone remediation of hydrocarbon contaminated sites. Bioventing is related to soil vapour extraction (SVE) except that the primary objective of bioventing is to maximize the biodegradation of aerobically degradable compounds.
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