Air sparging involves the injection of air or oxygen through a contaminated aquifer. Injected air traverses horizontally and vertically in channels through the soil column, creating an underground stripper that removes volatile and semivolatile organic contaminants by volatilization. The injected air helps to flush the contaminants into the unsaturated zone. SVE usually is implemented in conjunction with air sparging to remove the generated vapor-phase contamination from the vadose zone. Oxygen added to the contaminated groundwater and vadose-zone soils also can enhance biodegradation of contaminants below and above the water table.

4.38 Air Sparging
In Remediation Technologies Screening Matrix and Reference Guide, Version 4.0. Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable.

Air Sparging
EPA 510-B-95-007, 1995

Community Guide to Soil Vapor Extraction and Air Sparging
EPA 542-F-21-022, 2021

The Community Guide series (formerly Citizen's Guides) is a set of two-page fact sheets describing cleanup methods used at Superfund and other hazardous waste cleanup sites. Each guide answers six questions about the method: 1) What is it? 2) How does it work? 3) How long will it take? 4) Is it safe? 5) How might it affect me? 6) Why use it?

Technology Overview Report: Air Sparging
1996

This report, prepared by the Ground Water Remediation Technologies Analysis Center (GWRTAC), provides a brief overview of air sparging, including an introduction to its general principles, reported applicability and utilization, and cited advantages/disadvantages.