Assessment of groundwater contamination risk by BTEX from residual fuel soil phase

Abstract The aim of this work is to assess the risk of groundwater contamination associated with BTEX dissolution from fuels as a residual phase. Numerical simulations of sixty scenarios were carried out with the software HYDRUS 2D/3D. Groundwater contamination risk was analyzed given the combination of different porous media textures (silt loam, sandy loam and clay), water fluxes (0.5%, 1% or 3% Rainfall), water table depths (1.5, 2.5, 5 or 8 m below ground surface) and biodegradation rate (active or null). Risk was calculated comparing leachate concentrations to the aquifer and limits established by an international guideline for human drinking water. In all cases, benzene and toluene had the highest mobility in the dissolved phase. Contrary, xylene and ethylbenzene tended to concentrate close to the source zone. These two compounds predominantly concentrated in the solid phase. Calculated risk was proportional to the water flux rate and inversely proportional to the unsaturated thickness. Without biodegradation, in fine-grained sediments risk was very high for shallow aquifers (> 1.5 m depth) and moderate or low for deeper aquifers. However, in sandy loam sediments risk was classified as very high for aquifers up to 8 m deep. When biodegradation was considered, leached concentrations were greatly reduced in the three textures. BTEX concentration in Bahía Blanca City´s aquifer showed acceptable agreement with simulated scenarios. The most sensitive parameters to model results were biodegradation > f oc > water table depth > K s . This study is important for assessing the risks and developing management strategies for fuel contaminated sites.