Aerobic bioremediation treats MTBE and BTEX

Summary

Leakages from underground storage tanks (UST) at a former petrol fuelling station in Trieste resulted in MTBE and BTEX contamination impacting the groundwater (with concentrations of 260 μg/L and 30 μg/L respectively).

As the site was undergoing redevelopment, remediation was required to reduce contaminant levels to 40 μg/L MTBE and 1 μg/L BTEX.

Treatment

The 140 m2 target area was treated through a campaign comprising of 14 injection points arranged in a 3 m x 3 m grid spacing. ORC®-Primer and ORC-Advanced® have been applied simultaneously in a single application.

Benefits

Once injected into the subsurface, ORC-Advanced provides a controlled release source of oxygen for periods of up to 12 months. Therefore, remedial objectives could be achieved from a single application. ORC-Advanced was applied using Direct-Push injection. This meant there was minimal site disturbance,

• No need for well installation
• No above-ground piping
• No mechanical equipment left on site

After the application, benefits include:

• No operation costs
• No site disturbance affecting the redevelopment works.

Project monitoring is ongoing.