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Schirmer, Mario

Nom
Schirmer, Mario
Affiliation principale
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Ancien.ne collaborateur.trice
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https://libra.unine.ch/handle/123456789/163

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  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Modeling the impact of ethanol on the persistence of benzene in gasoline-contaminated groundwater
    (2002)
    Molson, John W
    ;
    Barker, James F
    ;
    Frind, Emil O
    ;
    Schirmer, Mario 
    [1] The effect of ethanol on the persistence of benzene in gasoline-contaminated aquifers is simulated using a multicomponent reactive transport model. The conceptual model includes a residual gasoline source which is dissolving at the water table into an aquifer containing a limited amount of dissolved oxygen. The coupled processes include nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) source dissolution, transport of the dissolved components, and competitive aerobic biodegradation. Comparisons are made between dissolved benzene plumes from a gasoline spill and those from an otherwise equivalent spill containing 10% ethanol (gasohol). Simulations have shown that under some conditions a 10% ethanol component in gasoline can extend the travel distance of a benzene plume by up to 150% relative to that from an equivalent ethanol-free gasoline spill. The increase occurs because ethanol preferentially consumes oxygen, which reduces the biodegradation rate of benzene. The impact is limited, however, because sufficient oxygen disperses behind the ethanol plume into the slightly retarded benzene plume. A sensitivity analysis for two common spill scenarios showed that background oxygen concentrations and benzene retardation have the most significant influence on ethanol-induced benzene persistence. The results are highly relevant in light of the increasing use of ethanol-enhanced fuels throughout the world and the forthcoming ban of methyl tertiary-butyl-ether (MTBE) in California and its probable replacement by ethanol by the end of 2002.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Influence of transient flow on contaminant biodegradation
    (2001)
    Schirmer, Mario 
    ;
    Durrant, Graham C
    ;
    Molson, John W
    ;
    Frind, Emil O
    The rate of biodegradation in contaminated aquifers depends to a large extent on dispersive mixing processes that are now generally accepted to result from spatial variations in the velocity field. It has been shown, however, that transient flow fields can also contribute to dispersive mixing. The influence of transient flow on biodegrading contaminants is particularly important since it can enhance mixing with electron acceptors, further promoting the reactive process. Using numerical simulations, the effect of transient flow on the behavior of a biodegradable contaminant is evaluated here both with respect to the development of apparently large horizontal transverse dispersion and also,vith respect to enhanced mixing between the substrate (electron donor) and electron acceptor. The numerical model BIO3D, which solves for advective-dispersive transport coupled with Monod-type biodegradation of substrates in the presence of an electron acceptor, was used for the simulations. The model was applied in a two-dimensional plan view mode considering a single substrate. Transient flow fields were found to yield larger apparent transverse dispersion because the longitudinal dispersivity also acts transverse to the mean flow direction. In the reactive case, the transient now field increases substrate-oxygen mixing, which in turn enhances the overall rate of biodegradation. The results suggest that in the case of moderate changes of flow directions, a steady-state flow field can be justified, thereby avoiding the higher computational costs of a fully transient simulation. The use of a higher transverse horizontal dispersivity in a steady flow field can, under these conditions, adequately forecast plume development.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    A relative-least-squares technique to determine unique Monod kinetic parameters of BTEX compounds using batch experiments
    (1999)
    Schirmer, Mario 
    ;
    Butler, Barbara J
    ;
    Roy, James W
    ;
    Frind, Emil O
    ;
    Barker, James F
    An analysis of aerobic m-xylene biodegradation kinetics was performed on the results of laboratory batch microcosms. A modified version of the computer model BIO3D was used to determine the Monod kinetic parameters, k(max) (maximum utilization rate) and K-S (half-utilization constant), as well as the Haldane inhibition concentration, K-I, for pristine Borden aquifer material, The proposed method allows for substrate degradation under microbial growth conditions. The problem of non-uniqueness of the calculated parameters was overcome by using several different initial substrate concentrations. With a relative-least-squares technique, unique kinetic degradation parameters were obtained. Calculation of the microbial yield, Y, based on microbial counts from the beginning and the end of the experiments was crucial for reducing the number of unknowns in the system and therefore for the accurate determination of the kinetic degradation parameters, The kinetic parameters obtained in the present study were found to agree well with values reported in the literature. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.