Diffusive Oxygen Emitters for Enhancement of Aerobic In Situ Treatment

Abstract Aerobic biodegradation can be enhanced within contaminant plumes by elevating typically low dissolved oxygen (D.O.) levels using materials or devices that passively release oxygen. We have developed passive devices that provide a uniform, steady, long‐term source of oxygen by diffusion from pressurized polymeric tubing and report test results under lab and field conditions. Lab flow‐through reactor tests were conducted to determine the diffusion coefficient (D) of oxygen through four readily available tubing materials. Oxygen diffusion was greatest through Tygon® 3350 platinum‐cured silicone (D = 6.67 ± 10 ‐7 cm 2 /sec), followed by 2075 Ultra Chemical Resistant Tygon (1.59 ± 10 ‐7 cm 2 /sec), 2275 High Purity Tygon (5.11 ± 10 ‐8 cm 2 /sec), and low‐density polyethylene (LDPE; 1.73 ± 10 ‐8 cm 2 /sec). Variable‐pressure release tests with LDPE resulted in very close estimates of D, which confirmed that mass transfer is controlled by diffusion and that the concentration gradient is a valid approximation of the chemical potential driving diffusion. LDPE emitter devices were designed and installed in seven 8‐inch‐diameter well screens across a portion of a gasoline plume at a former service station. With the devices pressurized to 620.5 kPag (kilopascals gauge) late in the test, steady‐state D.O. concentrations reached as high as 25 mg/L, comparing favorably to the value predicted using the mass‐transfer coefficient estimated from the lab test (26.3 mg/L). The method can also be used to release other gases for other reasons: gaseous tracers (i.e., sulphur hexafluoride, helium, and argon), hydrogen (for reductive dechlorination), or light alkanes (for cometabolic biodegradation of methyl tertiary butyl ether [MTBE] or chlorinated solvents).