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A TREE-BASED REMEDIATION SYSTEM FOR TREATMENT AND HYDRAULIC CONTROL OF A HYDROCARBON PLUME IN A 20 FOOT DEEP AQUIFER AT A FORMER REFINERY IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
Gatliff, E. and B. Snow. IPEC 2015: 22nd Annual International Petroleum Environmental Conference, 26 PowerPoint slides, 2015

The 15-20 ft deep groundwater at the former refinery occurs mainly in a sandy aquifer overlain by 20 ft of dense clay. A detailed groundwater model of the aquifer and petroleum hydrocarbon contaminant plume indicated that a tree-based remediation system using 400 trees, each pumping 50 gal/d/yr, could control the plume's off-site migration. A TreeMediation® system using patented TreeWell® technology was identified as the best approach for insuring that the tree-based system would use groundwater at the required rates. Four non-irrigated pilot study areas were established in 2012, each consisting of 72 trees (hybrid poplar, weeping willow, and London plane) planted in cased holes 3 ft in diameter to force root development to the water table and insure that contaminated groundwater was the primary water source. The pilots evaluated tree growth and development under the effects of extreme climate conditions and up-to-LNAPL levels of groundwater contamination. Following successful demonstration of the phytotechnology option, the selected solutions for the site included treating LNAPL pockets with oxygen sparging, and reducing the hydraulic gradient with a tree-based pump-and-treat system to create an opportunity for monitored natural attenuation to control off-site migration of the contaminant plume. Based on the pilot results, half of a full-scale phytoremediation installation was completed in spring 2015.
Slides: http://ipec.utulsa.edu/Conf2015/Manuscripts/Gatliff_TreeBased.pptx



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