Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Zappi, Mark E.

Committee Member

George, Clifford E.

Committee Member

Schulz, Kirk H.

Committee Member

Hernandez, Rafael

Committee Member

Kingery, William

Date of Degree

5-13-2006

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

Major

Chemical Engineering

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

College

James Worth Bagley College of Engineering

Department

Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering

Abstract

Many soil and aquifer systems in the United States have been subjected to chemical contamination from past industrial and military activities. While many remediation technologies are currently being applied, in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) is one option that is often favored because of its potential for fast remediation times and high user control. This technology involves the direct injection of chemical oxidizers (e.g. hydrogen peroxide, ozone, or permanganate) into targeted contaminant zones within the subsurface, and it has been proven to be amenable to both BTEX compounds and other volatile organic compounds such as chlorinated solvents. This study had several key objectives. Firstly, multiple soil samples, each containing an elevated level of a targeted chemical constituent, were successfully collected in order to provide a wide range of soil types in order to make important comparisons and correlations related to ISCO?s impacts. Secondly, the impact of common soil constituents on process reagent transport was studied in order to determine which soil constituents would act as primary hindrances for the transport of hydrogen peroxide and ozone into the subsurface. Thirdly, experiments were performed to pinpoint certain personnel safety threats such as excess oxygen and heat generation that might arise during process application. Fourthly, the impact of ISCO process application on soil fabric properties was examined. Soil aerobic microbial populations, soil hydraulic conductivity, soil natural organic matter constituents, and soil adsorptive properties were all shown to be impacted following the application of chemical oxidizers.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/17506

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