Three-dimensional modeling for colloid-facilitated contaminant transport with the effect of mobile and immobile sorbents

Abstract

A conceptual equilibrium-based mathematical model for colloid-associated contaminant transport has been developed to study the impact of the subsurface environment on contaminant transport through a three-dimensional, saturated, and homogeneous groundwater flow system with uniform flow. The kinetic model's critical limitation is dealing with the more significant number of parameters utilized upon application to larger scales in three-dimensional regions when a series of transport mechanisms are incorporated. Therefore, the present study is the first attempt to study the equilibrium approach in three-dimensional regions to avoid complexities in the model. The current study, however, shows that the mere existence of colloids does not indicate that contaminants will move more quickly; rather, it also depends on how the aqueous phase interacts with the static solid matrix, captured colloid particles, and mobile colloids as well as how colloids interact with stationary solid matrix phase. We noticed that the affinity of contaminants to immobile sorbents (stationary solid matrix and captured colloids) can reduce the transport even in the presence of colloids. Three-dimensional numerical experiments reveal that contaminants infiltrate more in the downward direction in the absence of colloids and can be distributed more in the longitudinal direction and less in the downward direction when colloids are present. The dual nature of colloids is espied here: first, colloids can remove pollutants from a specific area more quickly, and second, in a similar manner, colloids can pollute a specific region more quickly.