Alessandro Nardella

Design of In Situ Fenton Oxidation Based on the Integration of Experimental and Numerical Modelling

Abstract Criteria for the design of In-Situ Fenton Oxidation (ISFO) is proposed and applied to the development of a pilot-scale treatment of a former refinery site contaminated by hydrocarbons. The proposed criteria takes in account both the regulatory and technical constraints that typically characterize the application of in situ remediation technologies. The proposed design strategy of the ISFO treatment is based on coupling experimental and numerical modelling of the ISFO treatment in an iterative way. Batch tests are performed first, allowing to select the optimal operating conditions and the data on hydrogen peroxide decomposition kinetics. These data, together with the hydro-geological information collected in the field, are then used for the numerical modelling of the ISFO treatment, which allows to define the pilot plant layout and operating conditions and to evaluate the effective delivery of the oxidant and the hydraulic gradient developed in the field. These data are then used to design column scale tests aimed to evaluate the effective hydrogen peroxide longevity, the process performance and the extent of gas production from hydrogen peroxide decomposition.