CoBupH® Case Study

Using CoBupH® to Adjust Aquifer pH

 

PROBLEM


A US Government site had elevated TCE. Low aquifer pH stalled in situ bioremediation.

PROJECT GOAL


•  Inject organic substrate in the aquifer to enable naturally-occuring bacteria to effect in situ anaerobic reductive dechlorination
•  Control pH to sustain long-term performance
•  Achieve regulatory remediation levels of 5 µg/L TCE in groundwater and 53 µg/kg TCE in soil

METHODOLOGY


Test effectivness of buffered emulsified oil substrate.
Phase I 
•  16 wells paired to inject and recirculate EOS®︎ PRO
•  Post-injection performance monitoring for 29 months
Phase II
•  20 direct push points to inject CoBupH
®︎
•  Post-injection performance monitoring for 13 months
​​

RESULTS


• Buffered substrate overcame the stall in bioremediation caused by low pH.
• Phase I unbuffered injections resulted in up to 99% TCE reduction, but with little formation of vinyl chloride (VC) or ethene.
• ​Phase II buffered injections stimulated the reductive dechlorination process resulting in substantial increases in both VC and ethene.