Colloid Transport in Groundwater

 Many water quality contexts exist in which particle transport and retention in saturated sands and gravels is a critical process; e.g., streambed removal of particle-bound contaminants, low energy drinking water treatment using riverbank filtration, engineered subsurface delivery of novel nanoparticles or bacteria for contaminant cleanup, and protection of drinking water supplies from disease-causing pathogen sources. There is yet insufficient capability to predict the observed complex transport behaviors of these particles under environmental conditions. Consequently, the theory to support optimized design of the above environmental systems is lacking. Mathematical models currently can describe but not predict these behaviors because, as yet, the models do not represent the underlying mechanisms and processes for particle attachment to surfaces under environmental conditions. Our research aims to determine whether observed complex colloid transport behaviors will emerge from pore-scale representation of the surface heterogeneity responsible for particle attachment. We perfrom parallel experiments and simulations at pore (micromodel) and network (packed sand column) scales. The research will provide for a transformative platform for researchers and practitioners to perform mechanistic prediction of particle transport for design of solutions to environmental problems.

Personnel

 Markus Hilpert, Bill Johnson (University of Utah)

References

  1. Hilpert, M., W.P. Johnson (2017). A binomial modeling approach for upscaling colloid transport under unfavorable conditions: organic prediction of non-monotonic retention profiles. Water Resources Research. In Press.

  2. Hilpert, M., A.Rasmuson, A., and W.P. Johnson (2017). A binomial modeling approach for upscaling colloid transport under unfavorable conditions: organic prediction of extended tailing. Water Resources Research 53: 5626-5644.

  3. Johnson, W.P. and M. Hilpert (2013). Upscaling colloid transport and retention under unfavorable conditions: linking mass transfer to pore and grain topology. Water Resources Research. doi: 10.1002/wrcr.20433.

  4. Long, W., H. Huang, J. Serlemitsos, E. Liu, A.H. Reed and M. Hilpert (2010). A correlation for the collector efficiency of nanoparticles for clean-bed filtration in packings of nonspherical collectors. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 358: 163-171.

  5. Long, W., and M. Hilpert (2009). A correlation for the collector efficiency of Brownian particles in clean-bed filtration in sphere packings by a lattice-Boltzmann method. Environmental Science and Technology 43: 4419-4424.