Silica-Based Carbon Source Delivery for In-situ Bioremediation Enhancement

Abstract:

Colloidal silica aqueous suspensions undergo viscosity increasing and gelation over time under favorable geochemical conditions. This property of silica suspension can potentially be applied to deliver remedial amendments to the subsurface and establish slow release amendment sources for enhanced remediation. In this study, silica-based delivery of carbon sources for in-situ bioremediation enhancement is investigated. Sodium lactate, vegetable oil, ethanol, and molasses have been studied for the interaction with colloidal silica in aqueous suspensions. The rheological properties of the carbon source amendments and silica suspension have been investigated. The lactate-, ethanol-, and molasses-silica suspensions exhibited controllable viscosity increase and eventually became gels under favorable geochemical conditions. The gelation rate was a function of the concentration of silica, salinity, amendment, and temperature. The vegetable oil-silica suspensions increased viscosity immediately upon mixing, but did not perform gelation. The carbon source release rate from the lactate-, ethanol-, and molasses-silica gels was determined as a function of silica, salinity, amendment concentration. The microbial activity stimulation and in-situ bioremediation enhancement by the slow-released carbon from the amendment-silica gels will be demonstrated in future investigations planned in this study.