Remediation

Air Sparging

Air sparging is an in-situ remedial technology used to reduce the concentration of VOCs in groundwater. Contaminant removal occurs in three separate processes in an air sparge system:

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• Phase transfer from dissolved to vapour phase (occurring in the saturated zone);
• Phase transfer from absorbed to vapour phase (occurring in the capillary fringe and unsaturated zone); and,
• Aerobic biodegradation of the contaminant in both the saturated and unsaturated zones.

These processes are facilitated by the injection of air into the subsurface saturated zone. The injection induces a phase transfer (evaporation) of the VOCs from the dissolved and sorbed state to the vapour phase. In addition, the increased oxygen introduced into the subsurface stimulates the natural microbes thereby increasing the biological degradation of the contaminants.

Air Sparging is effective in the reduction of VOC concentrations at petroleum hydrocarbon impacted sites. Nichols Environmental has installed and maintained a number of air sparging systems with great success. Nichols Environmental is responsible for the proper installation of the injection wells, pumps and piping required to inject the suitable amount of compressed air into the contaminated zone.