An Introduction to Air Sparging for Soil Remediation

This online engineering PDH course provides information on air sparging and describes various applications of the technology as well as the underlying physical processes that occur during in-situ air sparging (IAS).

Air sparging is the process of injecting air into the saturated subsurface to treat contaminated soil and groundwater. Air sparging mechanisms include partitioning of volatile contaminants from the aqueous phase to the vapor phase (stripping), for their subsequent transfer and removal from the unsaturated zone. Moreover, it ensures the transfer of oxygen from the injected air to the aqueous phase to enhance aerobic microbial degradation of contaminants in the saturated zone; a process commonly known as biosparging.

Over the past decade, in-situ air sparging (IAS) has been implemented at thousands of locations to address a variety of contaminants. Although, early research into IAS had primarily focused on defining air and groundwater physical dynamics. More recently, the research has been focused on the development of practical approaches to implementation, particularly for enhancing mass removal, reducing rebound effects, and enhancing bioremediation.