Integrated enhanced natural attenuation approach for risk-based closure of a toluene contaminated site

微生物学家、水文地质学家、环境工程师、水化学家、地球物理科学家和工业合作伙伴BP和EcomeWorks之间建立了伙伴关系和多学科合作，目标是在现场规模上整合几种增强衰减方法，以评估这些方法修复裂缝沉积岩中石油烃（PHC）污染的可行性。 拟建工程的现场位于安大略南部。受关注的污染物是甲苯。残留的甲苯影响，来源于历史上使用的财产为制造目的，发生在一个破碎的白云岩含水层遇到的深度< 2米以下的地面（mbgs）。 在未来五年内，将采取一种综合和新颖的方法来提高岩石基质和羽流中残留甲苯的质量去除率。 该研究计划将整合： (1)化学添加剂既可用于甲苯的氧化，又可用于甲苯降解微生物群落的生物刺激; (2)原位加热，适度提高地下温度，以进行生物刺激;以及 （3）植物修复。 该项目将在加拿大开创先例，为修复断裂岩石中的污染物建立一个框架，并在仅使用自然衰减的衰减率不符合监管和/或可持续性标准的情况下提高衰减效率。 加拿大受石油碳氢化合物影响的场地规模巨大，仅联邦政府就对近23，000个受污染场地负有责任。 因此，开发新的补救方法是必要的，以促进这些未充分利用的土地在加拿大各地的重新开发。

A partnership and multidisciplinary collaboration between microbiologists, hydrogeologists, environmental engineers, hydrochemists, geophysical scientists, and industrial partners, BP and Ecometrix has been established with the goal of integrating, at the field-scale, several Enhanced Attenuation approaches in order to assess the viability of these approaches for remediating petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) contamination in fractured, sedimentary rock. The field site for the proposed work is located in Southern Ontario. The contaminant of concern is toluene. Residual toluene impacts, sourced from historical use of the property for manufacturing purposes, occurs in a fractured dolostone aquifer encountered at depths < 2 metres below ground surface (mbgs). In the next five years, an integrated and novel approach will be taken to augment the rate of mass removal of residual toluene in the rock matrix and plume. The research program will integrate: (1) chemical addition for both oxidation of toluene and biostimulation of toluene-degrading microbial communities; (2) in-situ heating that moderately raises subsurface temperatures for biostimulation; and (3)phytoremediation. This project will be precedent setting in Canada in terms of establishing a framework for remediation of contaminants in fractured rock and the efficacy of Enhanced Attenuation where attenuation rates using natural attenuation alone do not meet regulatory and/or sustainability criteria. The scale of Canadian sites impacted with petroleum hydrocarbon compounds (PHCs) is immense, with the federal Government alone retaining liability for nearly 23,000 contaminated sites. As such, development of new remediation methods is necessary to promote redevelopment of these underutilized lands across Canada.