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Fate and Transport of MTBE and Other Gasoline Components

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MTBE Remediation Handbook

Abstract

Most gasoline releases occur above the water table. As the gasoline drains through the unsaturated zone under the influence of gravity, it leaves behind a residual amount of gasoline held by capillary attraction. Gasoline that drains to the water table will collect in a capillary fringe that is located at the interface between the ground water in the aquifer and the unsaturated zone above. Gasoline is often inaccurately depicted as floating on the water as a light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL). The capillary fringe actually imbibes the gasoline, much as a sponge will soak up water. As a consequence, the gasoline spreads laterally in the capillary fringe much further than it would spread by gravity flow. As the water table moves up and down over time, the gasoline is redistributed in a smear zone. As the vertical position of the water table changes from one time to the next, the position of the smear zone with respect to ground water will change. At any one time most of the smeared gasoline can be above the water table, below the water table, or equally divided between the aquifer and the unsaturated zone above.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Office of Research and Development, USEPA National Risk Management Laboratory, USA

    John T. Wilson Ph.D.

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  1. John T. Wilson Ph.D.
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Ellen E. Moyer Paul T. Kostecki

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© 2003 Amherst Scientific Publishers

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Wilson, J.T. (2003). Fate and Transport of MTBE and Other Gasoline Components. In: Moyer, E.E., Kostecki, P.T. (eds) MTBE Remediation Handbook. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0021-6_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0021-6_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-4889-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-0021-6

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