TP – 1145 An Introduction to Air Sparging Soil Remediation for Professional Engineers

Description

This technical paper provides an overview of air sparging, describes various applications of the technology, and discusses the underlying physical processes that occur during in-situ air sparging (IAS).
IAS.Air sparging is the process of injecting air into the saturated subsurface to treat contaminated soil and groundwater. Air sparging mechanisms include partitioning of volatile contaminants from the aqueous phase to the vapor phase (stripping), for their subsequent transfer to and removal from the unsaturated zone, and transfer of oxygen from the injected air to the aqueous phase to enhance aerobic microbial degradation of contaminants in the saturated zone, termed biosparging. Air sparging may be used for these diverse applications, which are addressed.