Performance assessment of the In-Well Vapor-Stripping System

Abstract
In-well vapor stripping is a remediation technology designed to preferentially extract volatile organic compounds dissolved in groundwater by converting them to a vapor phase and then treating the vapor. This vapor-stripping system is distinctly different from the more traditional in situ air-sparging concept. In situ sparging takes place in the aquifer formation; in-well vapor stripping takes place within the well casing. The system was field demonstrated at Edwards Air Force Base, California; the first-time demonstration of this technology in the United States. Installation and testing of the system were completed in late 1995, and the demonstration was operated nearly continuously for 6 months (191 days) between January 16 and July 25, 1996. Postdemonstration hydrochemical sampling continued until September 1996. The demonstration was conducted by collaborating researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (a) and Stanford University as part of an interim cleanup action at the base. Edwards Air Force Base and its environmental subcontractor, Earth Technology Corporation, as well as EG&G Environmental, holders of the commercial rights to the technology, were also significant contributors to the demonstration.