In Situ Warming and Soil Venting to Enhance the Biodegradation of JP-4 in ColdClimates: A Critical Study and Analysis

摘要

In cold climates, bioremediation is limited to the summer when soil temperaturesare sufficient to support microbial growth. Laboratory studies directly correlate increased biodegradation rates with temperature. By raising soil temperatures, in situ jet fuel remediation can be accelerated which was shown by a bioventing project conducted in 1991 at Eielson AFB, Alaska, where three soil warming techniques were used. This study critically analyzes the project data to determine its effectiveness in enhancing biodegradation. This study also models the temperature-biodegradation relationship at the test plots using the van't Hoff-Arrhenius equation. Using paired oxygen consumption rates and temperatures, application of the equation was valid only for the warm water and passive warming plots. This study demonstrates that bioremediation is feasible in cold climates and can be enhanced by soil warming. Soil warming can significantly decrease remediation time with acceptable cost increases.