ABSTRACT
Contaminants dissolved in groundwater become part of a continuous, mobile phase. The contaminant’s behavior is affected by the partitioning characteristics, particularly the soil sorption partitioning, and by transformation processes, a mainly biodegradation. Biodegradation of contaminants in the groundwater, therefore, is usually an insignificant means of removal. However, if contaminants are transported to the water table or vadose zone which are much more well oxygenated, biodegradation can occur much more rapidly. The maximum concentration of an unadulterated gasoline that can be dissolved in groundwater is directly related to the solubilities of each constituent in a gasoline blend. Remedial measures used for contaminants in this locus tend to fall into three categories: mobilization, immobilization, and transformation. Mobilization techniques, such as pump and treat schemes and artificial recharge, seek to move the contamination to an extraction point where it is captured and treated.
