2019 Volume 14 Issue 2 Pages 141-148
Bioremediation is a low-cost, environmentally friendly technique that uses the degradation capability of microorganisms. To accelerate biodegradation process in practice, it is necessary to incorporate with injection of enhancement agent. The injection of an enhancement agent into a low-permeability stratum, however, is not easy, because mass transport within such stratum is mainly controlled by diffusion in most cases. In this study, derivation of theoretical solutions to and parametric studies on diffusion in three different systems were performed. The three types of diffusion were planar diffusion, hollow cylindric diffusion and hollow spherical diffusion which correspond to three approaches potentially being used in practice, respectively: utilization of an aquifer or a slit created by water jet, utilization of a borehole, and utilization of the bottom of a borehole. The results of theoretical examination illustrated that planar diffusion that can be realized through cutting slits by water jet is the most effective way for the injection of an enhancement agent in engineering practice.
