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Updated: May 8, 2026

Deployment and Retrieval of Mineral Samplers
Published on: January 20, 2026
Use of a reactive transport model to describe reductive dechlorination (RD) as a remediation design tool: application
Paolo Viotti1, Paolo Roberto Di Palma, Federico Aulenta
1Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184, Rome, Italy, paolo.viotti@uniroma1.it.
Abstract:
In this paper, a numerical model is presented that is capable of describing the complex set of biochemical processes that occur in chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbon (CAH)-contaminated groundwater when an exogenous electron donor is added. The reactive pattern is based on the degradation pathways of both chlorinated ethanes and ethenes, and it includes electron donor production (H2 and acetate) from the fermentation of an organic substrate as well as rate-limiting processes related to electron acceptor competition. Coupling of the kinetic model to a convection-dispersion module is described. The calibration phase was carried out using data obtained at a real CAH-contaminated site in the north of Italy. Model simulations of different application scenarios are presented to draw general conclusions on the effectiveness of reductive dechlorination (RD) as a possible cleanup strategy. Early outcomes indicate that cleanup targets can only be achieved if source longevity is reduced. Therefore, metabolic RD is expected to produce beneficial effects because it is known to induce bioenhanced degradation and transformation of CAHs.
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