Using a Heated Column Experiment to Investigate the Long-Term Effects of Thermal Recovery Operations on the Release, Mobilization, and Attenuation of Arsenic in Groundwater

Steam assisted gravity drainage is a form of thermal recovery technology used for unconventional oil. It can result in the heating of surrounding sediments and associated porewater and has the potential to mobilize otherwise immobile groundwater contaminants, such as arsenic. The current study was conducted to continue with the analysis of geochemical reactions within a column to gain a better understanding of the long-term effects of thermal recovery operations on groundwater contamination, with an emphasis on arsenic. A temperature range of 50 °C to 90 °C was implemented within a heated section of the column to mimic thermal influence on an aquifer adjacent to a steam assisted gravity drainage well. During the year-long study, aqueous concentrations of silica, arsenic, aluminum, titanium, and zinc were found to increase within the heated section of the column. This suggests that thermal recovery operations do have the potential to mobilize contaminants in groundwater.