ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the activities that have an immediate bearing on soil remediation using bioventing. Soil characterization is an important aspect in the context of soil bioventing, as it determines the venting design, the air flow(rates) and the possibilities for progress evaluation. However, continuous soil sampling will yield a fair estimate of the degree and extent of the heterogeneity of a soil. For instance, although grain size distribution may vary from clay to gravel, the applicability of bioventing will depend on the proportions of each of the fractions and the geometrical order in which they occur. Elemental analysis of soil minerals may assist in making a choice as to which methods may be used for process control and similarly which methods should be used to evaluate the progress of the in situ bioremediation. If spillages occur at ground surface, the petroleum products tend to flow downwards with some lateral spreading.
