Injecting Newman Zone

We believe that uniform distribution of an emulsified vegetable oil (EVO) is the key to successfully enhancing an anaerobic bioremediation project.  A uniform distribution of oil droplets means that there are no "hot spots" around injection points where excessive amounts of an amendment can create adverse conditions for bacterial growth or for ground water flow.  It also means that there is sufficient oil at the periphery of the radius of influence around injection points to insure adequate bioremediation. 

The oil in Newman Zone® remains emulsified even at low concentrations and the diluted emulsion has a viscosity essentially that of water.  Therefore, we prefer to inject a relatively dilute emulsion in a single step as we are confident that the oil droplets move with the injected water.  The dilution allows the oil in Newman Zone® to be distributed over a much larger area around an injection well than would be the case with an injection of undiluted Newman Zone®.  The oil droplets may remain suspended in the injection water for a few days to a few weeks after injection.  Then the oil absorbs onto soil surfaces to act as a long-term source of electron donor.  Injecting a greater concentration of oil followed by chase water can lead to “two-phase” flow issues, particularly if the emulsion droplets are relatively large, which results in greater uncertainty about the distribution of the oil in the aquifer. 

Newman Zone® can be diluted on site by adding the desired amount of concentrated emulsion to a mixing tank and then simply adding water.  The turbulence of the water flowing from a hose is usually enough to thoroughly mix the emulsion.  To eliminate the need for large mixing tanks on site, RNAS rents proportional feed systems that continuously mix water and Newman Zone® in a proportion desired by the user and then simultaneously inject the diluted mix into multiple points.  Injection points may be temporary or permanent wells or direct-push points.