Applications of a competitive hydrogenotrophic biological dechlorination transport model for groundwater remediation

A groundwater flow and transport model describing competitive hydrogenotrophic anaerobic biological dechlorination of halogenated solvents such as tetrachloroethylene (PCE) is presented. The model includes a kinetic description of growth of dechlorinating and competing methanogenic bacteria and the resulting biodegradation of PCE. The dechlorination with competitive and transport (DECT) model was created by extending existing groundwater modeling software whenever possible. An application of DECT the model to a field scale model problem shows the possibility of the DECT model to identify remediation strategies that minimize competition for hydrogen in the subsurface environment. The DECT model allows comparison of the efficacy of alternative hydrogen donors and pumping rate strategies to predict the effect of engineering decisions including the type, location, and rate of injection of hydrogen donors, on contaminant movement and biodegradation in the subsurface.