New Strategies for Implementing Biological and Physical-Chemical Remediation of Contaminated Groundwater
Jeffrey Cunningham
Stanford University
 

Over the past decade, many new technologies have been developed to treat contaminated groundwater. In this talk, I will discuss the theory and application of dual-screened wells as a tool for implementing in situ groundwater remediation. In particular, I will discuss two field studies, one recently completed and the other about to begin. In the first study, groundwater was treated through the addition of propionic acid to stimulate biologically-mediated reductive dehalogenation of chlorinated contaminants. In the second study, groundwater will be treated by palladium-catalyzed dehalogenation. In both studies, dual-screened wells are used to deliver necessary reactants to the water, and to recirculate the water for multiple passes through the treatment system. I have used hydraulic potential theory to model the flow and transport induced by the recirculating well system. This theory predicts that the hydraulic performance of the well system depends on only one dimensionless variable, namely a dimensionless pumping rate. Agreement between predictions and field observations suggests that the simplifications invoked in the theoretical development are acceptable for modeling purposes. If time permits, I will also give an overview of other components of my research program, past, present, and future.

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