Contaminant Transport and Fluid Flow in Soils

FRANCISCA, FRANCO M.; CARRO PEREZ, MAGALI EVELIN; GLATSTEIN, DANIEL A.; MONTORO, MARCOS ALEXIS

Horizons in Earth Science Research. Volume 6

Nova Science Publishers

Lugar: Hauppauge NY ; Año: 2012; p. 179 - 214

Presence of organic and inorganic contaminants in soils impacts soil and groundwater quality. The hydraulic conductivity of porous media controls the displacement of liquids in the soil pores and affects the fate and transport of contaminants in the environment. This chapter presents the influence of relevant soil and permeating liquid properties on liquid displacement and mass transport in soils including diffusion, advection, retardation, reaction, solubilization and immiscible flow. Then, we address the relevance of micro-heterogeneities on the displacement and generation of ganglia during the simultaneous flow of water and non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL). Finally, we discuss the importance of soil hydraulic conductivity and mass transport mechanisms in relation to geoenvironmental applications such as permeable reactive barriers (PRB), soil liners (SL) and smart permeable reactive barriers (SPRB).