Colloidal Remediation Agents for Subsurface Mobility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solid remediation agents for groundwater and soil contamination, such as apatite-containing materials and activated carbon, lack mobility in subsurface environments, requiring costly and disruptive application methods, limiting their effectiveness and distribution in reaching contaminated areas.
Innovation Solution
Development of colloidal compositions comprising fine particulate remediation agents (0.1-10 microns) stabilized by a combination of anionic or nonionic polymers and distribution enhancement agents like chelating agents or surfactants, allowing for increased mobility and distribution through soil and groundwater via aqueous admixtures for in situ treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If solid remediation agents are used in granular or powdered form, then they have high remediation capacity, but they lack mobility in the subsurface which limits their contact with contaminants
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the physical state of remediation agents from granular/powdered solid form to colloidal suspension form. This parameter change in physical state enables the agents to be transported through aqueous carriers into the subsurface, resolving the mobility limitation while maintaining the high surface area and remediation capacity of fine particulate materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an aqueous carrier as an intermediary medium to transport the remediation agents. The carrier suspends fine particulate remediation agents and enables their injection and distribution through subsurface formations, bridging the gap between the high-capacity solid agents and the mobile fluid delivery system.
2Ease of manufacture
If solid remediation agents are emplaced via physical methods such as high pressure injections, then they can be applied in situ, but the injection techniques are disruptive to the subsurface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs hydraulic injection methods to deliver remediation agents as colloidal suspensions through the subsurface. This hydraulic delivery system enables in situ treatment without requiring disruptive mechanical emplacement methods, as the fluid carrier naturally transports the agents through pore spaces and geological formations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the delivery parameter from mechanical emplacement to fluid-based colloidal injection. By transforming the application method from solid-phase mechanical insertion to liquid-phase colloidal transport, the system achieves in situ remediation with minimal subsurface disruption.
3Reliability
If smaller particle size remediation agents are used, then they have increased surface area for contaminant contact, but they agglomerate and require similar disruptive injection techniques
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an aqueous carrier as an intermediary to prevent agglomeration of fine particulate remediation agents. The carrier maintains dispersion of the high-surface-area particles through suspension, eliminating the need for disruptive injection techniques while preserving the benefits of fine particle size and high contaminant contact area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite system combining fine particulate remediation agents with an aqueous carrier medium. This composite colloidal suspension maintains the high surface area characteristics of fine particles while the fluid carrier prevents agglomeration and enables easy injection, combining the advantages of both approaches.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The colloidal compositions significantly enhance the distribution and efficacy of remediation agents, reducing treatment costs and increasing contact with contaminants, enabling effective remediation across a wider area with minimal disturbance to native aquifer conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The colloidal compositions significantly enhance the distribution and efficacy of remediation agents
Implementation Method 2
stabilized by a combination of anionic or nonionic polymers and distribution enhancement agents
Implementation Method 3
The apatite-containing materials can capture or chemically immobilize metals and radionuclides as insoluble forms
Implementation Method 4
Such agents can operate in a variety of modes including through sorption
Data Source
AI summary
Compositions and methods for treating contaminated soil and/or ground water in situ. The compositions and methods comprise stabilized forms of colloidal remediation agents that are used to remediate contaminants, namely, organic and inorganic contaminants. The compositions and methods of the present invention are operative to transport particulate remediation agent materials through a matrix of soil and groundwater upon application by injection, gravity feed, or percolation into soil and groundwater, which in turn sequester, destroy or stabilize contaminants out of water to thus decontaminate groundwater in place without the cost or disruption associated with digging the contaminated soil and groundwater out of the ground for on-site purification or disposal at a hazardous waste landfill.