Experimental investigations of air sparging to control contaminated groundwater

Abstract

This paper investigates the feasibility of using air trapped in the pores of soil to reduce soil permeability and hence form a barrier to groundwater flow. The laboratory experiments carried out investigated: (a) how to inject air into the soil in such a way that contaminated water is discouraged from entering the air-injected (sparged) region; (b) what factors affect the airflow; and (c) whether the sparged region can deflect a plume of contaminant. It was found that this application of air sparging can be used to form a barrier to groundwater flow in laboratory scale experiments.