Complexities of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contaminated Sites

This introductory chapter provides an overview of some challenges encountered during assessment and remediation of sites contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs), especially due to the presence of petroleum non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL). PHC contamination of soil and groundwater has become recognized globally as an environmental concern. NAPL releases may go unnoticed for years and can be costly, time-consuming, and challenging to cleanup. Environmental investigations are required to assess the subsurface conditions, and, when necessary, appropriate remedial strategies are implemented. Remediation success depends on the development of a living conceptual site model, evaluation, and selection of potential treatment technologies followed by technology implementation and performance monitoring. This chapter outlines various challenges commonly found at PHC-contaminated sites associated to regulatory issues, multiphase flow mechanics, NAPL partitioning and biodegradation, and hydrogeological controls.