ABSTRACT
This simple model made it possible to estimate the overall feasibility for the application of bioventing. For instance, if the model predicts excessive long removal times, say more than 5 years, then bioventing may not be a practical solution. For sufficient permeable soils it allows the estimation of air well distances to obtain efficient aeration of the soil. One of the shortcomings of the model is that oxygen consumption is equated to the complete removal of petroleum hydrocarbons by volatilization, which is applicable only to volatile petroleum constituents such as benzene or toluene. The transport model consists of two parts: one part calculates single-phase flow in a porous medium; the second part describes the movement of a contaminant using a multicomponent advection-dispersion model. High biodegradation rates can only be realized if the diffusion of oxygen gas into the interstitial pore water is maximized, in other words, when the oxygen gas is maintained close to it’s maximum partial pressure.
