Investigating ebullition in a sand column using dissolved gas analysis and reactive transport modeling

Environmental Science & Technology
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Abstract

Ebullition of gas bubbles through saturated sediments can enhance the migration of gases through the subsurface, affect the rate of biogeochemical processes, and potentially enhance the emission of important greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. To better understand the parameters controlling ebullition, methanogenic conditions were produced in a column experiment and ebullition through the column was monitored and quantified through dissolved gas analysis and reactive transport modeling. Dissolved gas analysis showed rapid transport of CH4 vertically through the column at rates several times faster than the bromide tracer and the more soluble gas CO2, indicating that ebullition was the main transport mechanism for CH4. An empirically derived formulation describing ebullition was integrated into the reactive transport code MIN3P allowing this process to be investigated on the REV scale in a complex geochemical framework. The simulations provided insights into the parameters controlling ebullition and show that, over the duration of the experiment, 36% of the CH4 and 19% of the CO2 produced were transported to the top of the column through ebullition.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Investigating ebullition in a sand column using dissolved gas analysis and reactive transport modeling
Series title Environmental Science & Technology
DOI 10.1021/es0602501
Volume 40
Issue 17
Publication Date August 04, 2006
Year Published 2006
Language English
Publisher American Chemical Society
Contributing office(s) Toxic Substances Hydrology Program
Description 7 p.
First page 5361
Last page 5367
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