E-flux, LLC

Chevron U.s.a. Inc.

Colorado State University Research Foundation

Arcadis Corporate Services, Inc.

Julio Zimbron

Thomas C Sale

Mark Lyverse

Matthew J Biondolillo

Marc Chalfant

Philip H Batten

Improved devices, systems and methods for measuring in situ saturations of non-aqueous phase liquids and/or petroleum in media such as soil. A clear or otherwise UV-transparent well for detecting fluorescence in a soil column having a transparent casing and an oil sensing device positioned in the well configured to monitor the soil column. A method for real-time estimation of LNAPL saturations in media, including emplacing a UV-transparent well in the media and recording fluorescence in the media via an oil sensing device.

Methods, systems, and devices for measuring in situ saturations of petroleum and NAPL in soils

The disclosed apparatus, systems and methods relate to measuring the ability of the soil to transport gases at any location of the soil column, rather than just the flow of gases out of the soil. This enables the measurement of gas transport for various reactive and non-reactive species that often do not reach the ground level, such as methane, as it is used by microbes as a carbon source when there is sufficient oxygen for aerobic respiration. Thus, the invention helps understand transport and reactive processes at different locations in the soil, rather than just the limited information available at ground level. The disclosed apparatus, systems and methods relate to conducting microcosm studies in situ which enables direct estimates of degradation rate of specific soil contaminants.

In situ measurement of soil fluxes and related apparatus, systems and methods

The disclosed apparatus, systems and methods relate to estimating the rate of biodegradation of contaminants in the ground by measuring thermal gradients in the vadose zone where heat is produced by biodegradation reactions, and averaging over a full seasonal period, such as one year or one seasonal cycle, in which the groundwater temperatures and surface temperatures vary in a cyclical manner. Exemplary embodiments correct for the delay required by the heat being produced in the ground to reach the locations where the temperature gradients are measured, and also cancel out the signal noise caused by the changing surface and groundwater temperatures. In further embodiments, a mathematical model is provided to test the validity of the invention on two example sites.

Establishment of contaminant degradation rates in soils using temperature gradients

A method for controlling petroleum hydrocarbon (NAPL) sheen releases resulting from seeps, ebullition and erosion, on water surfaces, is described. An oleophilic bio-Barrier (OBBs), which may include a composite of hydrocarbon sorptive materials through which water is readily conducted, is placed at a groundwater/surface water interface (GSI) for promoting natural aerobic degradation of the intercepted/adsorbed NAPL through natural cycling of aerobic surface water and/or atmospheric oxygen. OBBs may be protected by structural covers (i.e., sand and rock gabions, as examples).

Oleophilic bio-barrier for controlling NAPL migration

A passive sampling apparatus and method for measuring the cumulative mass of a selected gas being transported through a known cross-sectional area, for example, a soil surface, during a chosen period of time, using absorbent material, are described. Two quantities of absorbent material are disposed in a hollow container, such as a pipe section, and spaced apart such that they may be readily separated for analysis. The absorbent material closest to the soil captures the gas leaving the soil. Under reversed flow conditions, for example when the ambient air enters the ground because of fluctuations in atmospheric pressure, the upper absorbent material captures the component of interest entering the apparatus, thereby preventing this gas from entering the lower material and disturbing the measurement. The apparatus can therefore sequester the component of interest without being affected by the direction of gas transport.

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Fort Collins, CO, United States of America

Julio Zimbron