CONTAMINANTS FROM GROUNDWATER

THE CONTAMINATION OF GROUNDWATER BY VOLATILE ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS IS A NATIONAL PROBLEM OCCURRING IN ALL PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES. THE AIR FORCE HAS BEEN A LEADER IN INVESTIGATING PACKED-TOWER AERATION TO REMOVE VOCS FROM GROUNDWATER. IT HAS BEEN SPECULATED THAT THE PERFORMANCE OF THESE STRIPPING COLUMNS CAN BE IMPROVED BY ADDING SURFACTANTS TO THE WATER TO INCRESE THE WETTED PACKING SURFACE. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THE PROPOSED PROGRAM IS TO EXPERIMENTALLY DETERMINE THE EFFECTS THAT SURFACTANTS IMPOSE ON THE PARTITIONING BEHAVIOR OF VARIOUS ORGANICS BETWEEN THE GAS AND LIQUID PHASES AND ON THE HYDRODYNAMICS OF PACKED GAS/LIQUID CONTACTORS. A SECOND OBJECTIVE IS TO INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY OF A NOVEL NEW CONCEPT TO INCREASE THE WETTABILITY OF PACKING SURFACES BY IMMOBILIZING SUITABLE SPECIFIC SURFACE-ACTIVE CHEMICAL GROUPS TO THE PACKING TO INCREASE THE ENERGY OF THE PACKING SURFACE. THE PARTITIONING BEHAVIOR WILL BE QUANTIFIED THROUGH THE DETERMINATION OF HENRY'S LAW CONSTANTS BY VAPOR-LIQUID EQUILIBRIUM MEASUREMENTS, WHILE THE HYDRODYNAMIC BEHAVIOR AND FEASIBILITY OF SURFACTANT-ENHANCED STRIPPING WILL BE DETERMINED IN PACKED GAS STRIPPING COLUMNS WITH AND WITHOUT SURFACTANT ADDITION OR SURFACE-MODIFIED PACKINGS.