Effect of Humic Acid on Migration, Distribution and Remediation of Dense Non-aqueous Phase Liquids: A laboratory investigation

Abstract:

Over the last decades, dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) contamination in the subsurface increases with the rapid development of oil industry and becomes the focus of many studies. The migration, distribution and remediation efficiency of DNAPLs in the subsurface environment are greatly affected by the solution chemistry besides the physical heterogeneities of aquifers. Humic acid (HA), which is ubiquitous in natural environments, is a surface active substance exhibiting solubility enhancement behavior for hydrophobic organic compounds such as DNAPLs. Here we reported a laboratory investigation to study the effects of HA on the infiltration, immobilization and subsequent recovery of DNAPL in porous media.

Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) was selected as the representative DNAPL in this study. Two-dimensional (2-D) sandbox experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of different HA concentrations on the transport, distribution of PCE and the remediation of PCE using surfactant (Tween 80) flushing in a saturated porous media system. The surfactant flushing of PCE was performed after the PCE transport and distribution had reached equilibrium. A light transmission visualization method with charge-coupled device (CCD) camera was adopted to visualize PCE distribution and quantify its saturation. In addition, the experiments were also designed to gather data for the validation of multiphase flow models. Effluent samples were collected to determine dissolved PCE concentrations. PCE solubilization and PCE-water interfacial tension were experimentally determined in aqueous solutions of varying HA concentrations. The experimental results showed that the presence of HA can have a dramatic impact on PCE flow and entrapment, and significantly improved the recovery of PCE during surfactant enhanced aquifer remediation (SEAR). The findings are of use for better understanding of the migration and entrapment of DNAPLs and developing of SEAR technology.