Microfoams as Reactant Transport Media for In-Situ Immobilization of Radionuclide and Metallic Contaminants in Deep Vadose Zone

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is currently addressing issues related to remediation of Cr, U and Tc contamination in the deep vadose zone at the Hanford Site in Washington State. One of the transformational technology alternatives being considered by the DOE Office of Environmental Management, is the use of Reactant Carrier Microfoams (RCM) for in-situ immobilization of contaminants. Foam injection technology for Enhance Oil Recovery (EOR) has well-established pedigree. Use of surfactant foams have also been explored for mobilizing DNAPL from sediments. However, the novel concept of using RCM for in situ immobilization contaminants in the deep vadose zone has not been explored, therefore, presents many daunting challenges for successful implementation. Scienists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), leveraged previous EMSP-funded studies on microfoams conducted at LBNL with the goal to formulate robust stable microfoams for delivering reductive and/or precipitating reactants to the deep subsurface. Following an extensive literature review, a protocol was deisnged to select appropriate surfactant blends, and tested three different methods of foam generation namely, Venturi foam generato , high-speed gas entrainment and porous plate method. The resulting RCMs were characterized as to their quality, stability, bubble size distribution, surface tension and viscosity. The foam stabilities as a function of reactant (polyphosphate and polysulfides) concentrations and entrained polyatomic gases were also examined. Based on these experiments, optimal carrier foam compositions were identified for each Hanford deep vadose zone Contaminant of Concern (COC) namely U(VI) and Cr(VI). Finally, MSE Technology Applications, Inc (MSE) in collaboration with PNNL, conducted a series of scale-up reactant carrier foam injection tests to evaluate the efficacy of this technology for potential deep vadose zone remediation.