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Application of Biobarriers for Groundwater Containment at Fractured Bedrock Sites
Author(s) -
Ross Nathalie,
Bickerton Greg
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
remediation journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.762
H-Index - 27
eISSN - 1520-6831
pISSN - 1051-5658
DOI - 10.1002/rem.10031
Subject(s) - biostimulation , groundwater , bioaugmentation , bedrock , environmental science , fracture treatment , aquifer , hydraulic conductivity , groundwater contamination , geology , mining engineering , bioremediation , geotechnical engineering , soil science , geomorphology , soil water , bacteria , medicine , paleontology , surgery
Biological barriers are a beneficial application of biofilms that aim at reducing the hydraulic conductivity(K) in geological formations. Several studies have shown the potential benefits of creating suchbarriers either by stimulating the indigenous microbial community (biostimulation) or injectingbacteria (bioaugmentation). For example, laboratory experiments show that groundwater microorganismsattached to a ceramic surface and generated a biofilm as thick as 1,100 μm. In a limestone fracture, thisbacterial community clogged a single fracture up to 99.2 percent within 22 days. At the field scale,applications in porous aquifers led to a five‐fold decrease in K after 2.5 days of biostimulation, and abioaugmentation with a starved, adapted bacterial culture decreased K by 99.4 percent. One promising developmentof the biobarrier concept is a field application at a fractured bedrock site. Using a multidisciplinary approachand focusing on a well‐characterized fracture system, a field trial was undertaken in Southern Ontario tomeasure the extent of bioclogging and the stability over time. This article focuses on the literature pertinentto the preparation of this field trial and presents the innovative approach selected to monitor the biocloggingin such a challenging environment.