estimation of natural biodegradation raes of organics in buried
waste at INEEL
Mark Conrad and Donald J. DePaolo
Contact: Mark Conrad, 510/486-6141, MSConrad@lbl.gov
Research Objectives
Radioactive waste resulting from U.S. Department of Energy
activities is buried in shallow pits in the Subsurface Disposal
Area (SDA) at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC) of
the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL).
In addition to the radionuclides, the waste drums also contain significant
amounts of chlorinated solvents mixed with lubricating oils. Leakage
from the drums has resulted in a plume of vapor-phase contaminants
in the vadose zone. The main objective of this study was to use
measurement concentrations and isotopic compositions of CO2
from the SDA to assess the potential for bioremediation of the organic
contaminants at the site.
To continue reading more about this project, view
the 1-page pdf here.
|
 Concentrations of CO2 versus sampling depth for samples from monitoring wells in the Subsurface Disposal Area (red circles) and from background wells (blue circles) adjacent to the site. The dashed orange line corresponds to CO2 concenrations calculated for a 20 m thick production zone (the shaded area between 15 m and 35 m) with CO2 concentrations averaging 0.9% (versus 0.2% in the background wells).
|
