API Groundwater Arsenic Manual
API Groundwater Arsenic Manual: Attenuation of Naturally-Occurring Arsenic at Petroleum Impacted Sites
PUBLICATION 4761 FEBRUARY 2011
This manual:
- Was developed to explain the mobilization, transport and attenuation mechanisms of naturally-occurring arsenic in groundwater a petroleum impacted sites.
- Identifies and categorizes the potential sources of arsenic at petroleum impacted sites, including arsenic contained in native rock and soils and arsenic resulting from anthropogenic sources;
- Provides information on the arsenic content of petroleum and refined products. Arsenic is not a common or significant trace element in petroleum, and petroleum is not known to be a significant source of mobile arsenic in groundwater.
- Presents the fundamentals of arsenic biogeochemistry at petroleum impacted sites where the presence of hydrocarbons may result in dissolution of native arsenic due primarily to biodegradation and the resulting electrochemically-reduced conditions; and
- Provides validated tools for the assessment of arsenic at petroleum impacted sites and its management through natural attenuation.
What's New
"In a long-term field study, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Virginia Tech scientists have found that changes in geochemistry from the natural breakdown of petroleum hydrocarbons underground can promote the chemical release (mobilization) of naturally occurring arsenic into groundwater. This geochemical change can result in potentially significant arsenic groundwater contamination.
Cozzarelli, I. M., Schreiber, M. E., Erickson, M. L. and Ziegler, B. A. (2015), Arsenic Cycling in Hydrocarbon Plumes: Secondary Effects of Natural Attenuation. Groundwater. doi: 10.1111/gwat.12316
Abstract
Focused on the mobilization and attenuation of naturally-occurring arsenic at petroleum impacted sites
Naturally-occurring arsenic may be mobilized into shallow groundwater by inputs of biodegradable organic carbon, including petroleum hydrocarbons.
This manual:
- Was developed to explain the mobilization, transport and attenuation mechanisms of naturally-occurring arsenic in groundwater at petroleum impacted sites.
- Identifies and categorizes the potential sources of arsenic at petroleum impacted sites, including arsenic contained in native rock and soils and arsenic resulting from anthropogenic sources;
- Provides information on the arsenic content of petroleum and refined products. Arsenic is not a common or significant trace element in petroleum, and petroleum is not known to be a significant source of mobile arsenic in groundwater.
- Presents the fundamentals of arsenic biogeochemistry at petroleum impacted sites where the presence of hydrocarbons may result in dissolution of native arsenic due primarily to biodegradation and the resulting electrochemically-reduced conditions; and
- Provides validated tools for the assessment of arsenic at petroleum impacted sites and its management through natural attenuation.
A summary paper of this manual was presented at and published in the proceedings of the 2010 Battelle conference (citation below). This summary is available for download below (PDF file).
Citation Data
Attenuation of Naturally Occurring Arsenic at Petroleum Hydrocarbon–Impacted Sites
Richard A. Brown (dick.brown@erm.com) and Katrina E. Patterson (katrina.patterson@erm.com) (ERM, Ewing, New Jersey, USA); Mitchell D. Zimmerman(ERM, Austin, Texas, USA); and G. Todd Ririe (BP, La Palma, California, USA)
G-069, in K.A. Fields and G.B. Wickramanayake (Chairs), Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds—2010. Seventh International Conference on Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds (Monterey, CA; May 2010). ISBN 978-0-9819730-2-9, Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH, www.battelle.org/chlorcon.
Downloads
Attenuation of Naturally Occurring Arsenic at Petroleum Hydrocarbon–Impacted Sites – Battelle, 2010
File Size: 2.3 MB
Final APU Pub 4761 Feb 2011 Arsenic GW site
File Size: 8.4 MB
