Overcoming operational challenges during electrokinetic bioremediation of petroleum contaminated soils

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The industrial partner, DST Consulting Engineers Inc., is looking for ways to overcome operational challenges usually encountered during the use of electrokinetics to dewater excavations or clean up contaminated soil via bioremediation. Electrokinetic bioremediation is the process of using electrical current to deliver nutrients to bacteria to facilitate the removal of organic pollutants from soil. Generally, the process has been found to have limited success because of unstable and/or nonuniform pH in the electroosmotic flow direction due to the electrolysis of water, poor nutrients delivery that tend to render the process ineffective after some time, and high energy cost due to reliance on grid electricity, which may not be available in remote areas. DST would like to forge a new partnership with Dr. Ernest Yanful of the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineers at Western University to address these challenges, via a research project under the NSERC Engage program. The goals of the research are to investigate (i) a new electrode configuration for neutralizing pH by creating circular water flow between the anode and cathode compartments of an electrokinetic cell, without the addition of chemical compounds or increase in operational cost; (ii) temperature effects on electrokinetic bioremediation and the use of intermittent current to eliminate the adverse effect of high temperature; and (iii) the use of solar energy as an alternative to grid electricity to power the electrokinetic bioremediation process. DST Consulting Engineers Inc. will make an in-kind contribution of $8,400 to the project and use the resulting technology to dewater excavations during construction, strengthen weak soils, and remediate petroleum contaminated sites. Through the project, Western University will further develop the environmental engineering and remediation skills of one Ph.D. student and thereby to Canada's socio-economic development.