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Accelerated Natural Attenuation

An alternative to Monitored Natural Attenuation is Accelerated Natural Attenuation (ANA).  ANA still requires monitoring and reporting but should help reduce the overall time and cost associated with your groundwater cleanup project.  By stimulating the natural process of biodegradation by the addition of nutrients and oxygen within the contaminated groundwater zone, the process of natural attenuation can be accelerated.  Aerobic degradation of volatile organic compounds such as Benzene, Toluene, Ethyl benzene, Xylenes (BTEX) and  compounds such as M ethyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE).   MTBE is a chemical compound that has been used as an additive to gasoline in the United States over the past three decades.   MTBE was utilized commercially as a gasoline octane booster after the ban of leaded gasoline by the US Environmental Protection Agency in 1979.   

The stimulation process is achieved within the aquifer by supplying the existing subsurface microbes with enough oxygen and nutrients to enhance the natural process.  This can be achieved through the introduction of oxygen by physical method such as air sparging or by the introduction of oxygen releasing compounds (ORC).  There are many ways to accomplish this task.   Each situation must be evaluated on it's own.  No matter how great the technology the use of oxygen releasing compounds or any other agent to speed up the process is limited by the sites geology.   

Oxygen releasing compounds have been found to be very effective for gasoline and other light hydrocarbons.  The simplest way to introduce oxygen releasing compounds in a shallow aquifer is with a geoprobe rig.  The geoprobe tip is pushed into the contaminated portion of the aquifer and the releasing compound is injected with a simple grout pump as the tip is removed.  Oxygen will be released for about 6 months.  

For more information on quantity of ORC and spacing of borings please contact Bill Langley, Ph.D., Senior Engineer, Wilson Environmental,  Charlotte, North Carolina, at  WGL@bellsouth.net and he will be glad to assist you.  

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