The Influence of Biodegradation on the Distribution of Stable Carbon Isotope Characteristic Values in Heavy Non Aqueous Liquids

To investigate the effects of soil variability and the presence of non aqueous liquids (NAPL) on the distribution of stable carbon isotope eigenvalues, a series of numerical simulations of multiphase flow, biodegradation and pollutant transport were carried out. When a heavy non-aqueous liquid (DNAPL) is present in the permeable layer, the simulation results show that the distribution of δ13C and its value are significantly different considering the differences in the spatial distribution of underground media, including the δ13C maximum value and the shape of the δ13C contour. When the soil reaction rate constant changes with soil permeability, the distribution of δ13C shows a different pattern. The results show that the distribution of δ13C is not only related to the differences in the spatial distribution of underground media, but also highly dependent on the biological differences of contaminated sites.