Ozone Ground Water Remediation

Ground water contamination has become a significant environmental problem over the last few decades. Industrial, commercial and residential activities have allowed contaminants to enter the subsurface and contaminate the water with toxic chemicals. Over time the extent of this contamination has become more widely recognized as analytical techniques have discovered low level contaminants judged to be dangerous.

Ozone and ozone based advanced oxidation , have been used successfully to remove toxic compounds from ground water. These ozone based oxidation systems have been used in both:

• In-Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO) : Ozone and/or other agents are pumped into the ground to where the oxidation reactions take place.
• Pump and Treat Chemical Oxidation : The ground water is pumped out of the ground and treated at the surface with ozone and/or other chemicals. In some cases the water is reinjected into the ground or discharged at the surface.

It is important to recognize that for ISCO the environment underground is complex in terms of anthropogenic compounds and naturally occurring compounds, the phases in which the compounds exist, the nature of the rock/soil, etc. So, not only do the proper chemicals need to be added, but also the proper method of injecting them into the ground must be determined. Pump and treat applications have the advantage of a simpler treatment environment since it is limited to the water coming from the well.
There are other chemical oxidation approaches for both ISCO and pump and treat application including permanganate, hydrogen peroxide, Fenton’s Reagent (Fe based catalysis of hydrogen peroxide) and persulfate. In pump and treat applications UV can be used alone or in conjunction with ozone, peroxide, or ozone and peroxide.

The reactivity of ozone and ozone based advanced oxidation processes with various compounds found in ground water can be seen at the ozone ground water reactions link .

Depending on the chemical compounds to be treated and the hydrology of the site, different methods have advantages and disadvantages. A consistent advantages of ozone versus other approaches include:

• Generated On-Site eliminating the need to purchase, transport, handle or store chemicals.
• Very effective in breaking down aromatic compounds
• Can be combined with UV and/or peroxide to create an advanced oxidation process, this must be done as a pump and treat operation. Ozone with UV provides the only advanced oxidation process that does not need supplementary chemicals to be purchased, transported, stored or handled.

Spartan Environmental has teamed with Product Recovery Management (PRM) to provide complete ozone ground water treatment systems. This means in addition to the ozone related equipment we can supply containerized packages with well pumps and other treatment technologies to provide a turnkey solution.