Laboratory-scale application of fiber optic transflection dip probe (FOTDP) for in situ monitoring of gas phase ozone in unsaturated porous media

A fiber optic transflection dip probe (FOTDP) system was developed for in situ and real-time monitoring of the transport of gas phase ozone in unsaturated porous media. A unique property of this system is the employment of a dip probe, which is inserted within the porous media. At the probe's tip, incoming light interacts with gas phase ozone and is partially reflected back into the probe by a mirror attached to the tip. Calibration of the FOTDP system was successfully carried out with various ozone concentrations using a column packed with glass beads. The ozone breakthrough curves (BTCs) were obtained by converting normalized UV intensities into gas phase ozone concentrations. The FOTDP system worked well for in situ monitoring of gas phase ozone using a column packed with sand under various water saturations in the presence of SOM and reflected the ideal transport phenomena of gas phase ozone for various flow rates.     

Transport of volatile compounds in porous media in the presence of a trapped gas phase

The presence of an immobile gaseous phase in an otherwise-saturated porous medium affects the transport of volatile compounds. The linear theory of partitioning tracers suggests that a volatile tracer introduced into such a system should be retarded with a constant retardation factor. Using high concentrations, however, the saturation of the gaseous phase will change as an effect of the tracer test itself. Competitive gas transfer among all volatile compounds and the change of saturation may lead to tracer concentrations that are temporarily higher than those injected. We analyze the system in the framework of the coherence theory by Helfferich [Soc. Pet. Eng. J. 21 (1) (1981) 51]. The governing equations are formulated as functions of total concentration, i.e., the mass of solutes in all phases per pore volume. Neglecting dispersion and mass-transfer kinetics, we derive the characteristic form of the resulting system of hyperbolic equations. In a system with N volatile compounds, a variation of the concentrations splits up into N waves, each traveling with its own characteristic velocity. If the presence of a gaseous phase is sustained, one wave will be a standing one. We perform numerical model calculations for tracers with various Henry's law coefficients and show that the results agree with the semi-analytical solution obtained by coherence theory.     

Transport of a non-volatile contaminant in unsaturated porous media in the presence of colloids

Stable colloidal particles can travel long distances in subsurface environments and carry particle-reactive contaminants with them to locations further than predicted by the conventional advective-dispersive transport equation. When such carriers exist in a saturated porous medium, the system can be idealized as consisting of three phases: an aqueous phase, a carrier phase, and a stationary solid matrix phase. However, when colloids are present in an unsaturated porous medium, the system representation should include one more phase, i.e. the air phase. In the work reported, a mathematical model was developed to describe the transport and fate of the colloidal particles and a non-volatile contaminant in unsaturated porous media. The model is based on mass balance equations in a four-phase porous medium. Colloid mass transfer mechanisms among aqueous, solid matrix, and air phases, and contaminant mass transfer between aqueous and colloid phases are represented by kinetic expressions. Governing equations are non-dimensionalized and solved to investigate colloid and contaminant transport in an unsaturated porous medium. A sensitivity analysis of the transport model was utilized to assess the effects of several parameters on model behavior. The colloid transport model matches successfully with experimental data of Wan and Wilson. The presence of air-water interface retards the colloid transport significantly counterbalancing the facilitating effect of colloids. However, the retardation of contaminant transport by colloids is highly dependent on the properties of the contaminant and the colloidal surface.     

Gel barrier formation in unsaturated porous media

The gel barrier formation by a gelling liquid (Colloidal Silica) injection in an unsaturated porous medium is investigated by developing a mathematical model and conducting numerical simulations. Gelation process is initiated by adding electrolytes such as NaCl, and the gel phase consisting of cross-linked colloidal silica particles grows as the gelation process proceeds. The mathematical model describing the transport and gelation of Colloidal Silica (CS) is based on coupled mass balance equations for the gel mixture (the sol phase plus the gel phase), gel phase (cross-linked colloidal silica particles plus water captured between cross-linked particles), and colloidal silica particles (discrete and cross-linked) and NaCl in the sol (suspension of discrete colloidal silica particles in water) and gel phases. The solutions in terms of volumetric fraction of the gel phase yield the gel mixture viscosity via the dependency on the volumetric fraction of gel phase. This dependency is determined from a kinetic gelation model with time-normalized viscosity curves. The proposed model is verified by comparing experimentally and numerically determined hydraulic conductivities of gel-treated soil columns at different CS injection volumes. The numerical experiments indicate that an impermeable gel layer is formed within the time period twice the gel-point in a one-dimensional flow system. At the same normalized time corresponding to twice the gel-point, the CS solutions with lower NaCl concentrations result in further migration and poor performance in plugging the pore space. The viscosity computation proposed in this study is compared with another method available in the literature. It is observed that the other method estimates the viscosity at the mixing zone higher than the one proposed by the authors. The proposed model can simulate realistic injection scenarios with various combinations of operating parameters such as NaCl concentration and NaCl mixing time, and thus providing guidelines in performing this technology on site.     

Modeling colloid-facilitated transport of multi-species contaminants in unsaturated porous media

Colloid-facilitated transport has been recognized as a potentially important and overlooked contaminant transport process. In particular, it has been observed that conventional two phase sorption models are often unable to explain transport of highly sorbing compounds in the subsurface appropriately in the presence of colloids. In this study a one-dimensional model for colloid-facilitated transport of chemicals in unsaturated porous media is developed. The model has parts for simulating coupled flow, and colloid transport and dissolved and colloidal contaminant transport. Richards' equation is solved to model unsaturated flow, and the effect of colloid entrapment and release on porosity and hydraulic conductivity of the porous media is incorporated into the model. Both random sequential adsorption and Langmuir approaches have been implemented in the model in order to incorporate the effect of surface jamming. The concept of entrapment of colloids into the air-water interface is used for taking into account the effect of retardation caused due to existence of the air phase. A non-equilibrium sorption approach with options of linear and Langmuir sorption assumptions are implemented that can represent the competition and site saturation effects on sorption of multiple compounds both to the solid matrix and to the colloidal particles. Several demonstration calculations are performed and the conditions in which the non-equilibrium model can be approximated by an equilibrium model are also studied.     

A numerical model for transient-hysteretic flow and solute transport in unsaturated porous media

A two-dimensional flow and transport model was developed for simulating transient water flow and nonreactive solute transport in heterogeneous, unsaturated porous media containing air and water. The model is composed of a unique combination of robust and accurate numerical algorithms for solving the Richards', Darcy flux, and advection-dispersion equations. The mixed form of Richards' equation is solved using a finite-element formulation and a modified Picard iteration scheme. Mass lumping is employed to improve solution convergence and stability behavior. The flow algorithm accounts for hysteresis in the pressure head-water content relationship. Darcy fluxes are approximated with a Galerkin and Petrov-Galerkin finite-element method developed for random heterogeneous porous media. The transport equation is solved using an Eulerian-Lagrangian method. A multi-step, fourth-order Runge-Kutta, reverse particle tracking technique and a quadratic-linear interpolation scheme are shown to be superior for determining the advective concentration. A Galerkin finite-element method is used for approximating the dispersive flux. The unsaturated flow and transport model was applied to a variety of rigorous problems and was found to produce accurate, mass-conserving solutions when compared to analytical solutions and published numerical results.     

Infiltration and redistribution of LNAPL into unsaturated layered porous media

Enhanced understanding of light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) infiltration into heterogeneous porous media is important for the effective design of remediation strategies. We used a 2-D experimental facility that allows for visual observation of LNAPL contours in order to study LNAPL redistribution in a layered porous medium. The layers are situated in the unsaturated zone near the watertable and they are inclined to be able to observe the effect of discontinuities in capillary forces and relative permeabilities. Two experiments were performed. The first experiment consisted of LNAPL infiltration into a fine sand matrix with a coarse sand layer, and the second experiment consisted of a coarse sand matrix and a fine sand layer. The numerical multi-phase flow model STOMP was validated with regard to the experimental results. This model is able to adequately reproduce the experimental LNAPL contours. Numerical sensitivity analysis was also performed. The capillarity contrast between sands was found to be the main controlling factor determining the final LNAPL distribution.     

Bacterial deposition in unsaturated porous media as related to surface properties

Transport of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis in silica sand under water-unsaturated conditions was investigated using column experiments. It was hypothesised that bacterial deposition was due to their interactions within the pore environment, which was a function of their surface physicochemical properties as well as pore water chemistry. Surface thermodynamic properties of these bacterial strains were measured independently by means of contact angle measurements under different water saturation conditions using variable lawn moisture contents. Bacterial interactions with the liquid-gas interface and the porous media were calculated based on their surface properties and were related to their transport observations.     

Modeling tracer diffusion in fractured and unfractured, unsaturated, porous media

A proposed tracer diffusion test for the Exploratory Shaft Facility at Yucca Mountain, NV, is modeled. For the proposed test, a solution containing conservative tracers will be introduced into a borehole in the geologic medium of interest. The tracers will diffuse and advect from the saturated source region into the unsaturated matrix in the surrounding tuff. After some time, the borehole is to be overcored, and tracer concentrations in the fluid will be measured in the core as a function of distance from emplacement. The data will be used to evaluate diffusive behavior and to derive effective diffusion coefficients for the tracers in the specific tuff. Numerical simulations are used to study the effects of effective diffusion coefficient, porosity, saturation, and fracturing on tracer transport. Results are reported for numerical simulations of tests in the Topopah Spring Member and the Tuff of Calico Hills, which have significantly different porosities and saturations. The simulations make the following predictions: The spread of tracer during the test will be sensitive to the effective diffusion coefficient of the tracer. Tracer will diffuse farther in the Topopah Spring Member than in the Tuff of Calico Hills because of the former's lower porosity and saturation. Tracer transport by advection into the Topopah Spring Member will be greater than that into the Tuff of Calico Hills because of capillary effects. While advection will be a significant mechanism for tracer penetration into the Topopah Spring tuff, it will be less significant for tracer penetration into the Calico Hills tuff. The proximity of a single vertical fracture to the source region determines its effects on tracer transport, especially if the fracture diverts fluid flowing from the source region into the matrix.     

Transport and deposition of functionalized CdTe nanoparticles in saturated porous media

Comprehensive understanding of the transport and deposition of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) in subsurface is required to assess their potential negative impact on the environment. We studied the deposition behavior of functionalized quantum dot (QD) NPs (CdTe) in different types of sands (Accusand, ultrapure quartz, and iron-coated sand) at various solution ionic strengths (IS). The observed transport behavior in ultrapure quartz and iron-coated sand was consistent with conventional colloid deposition theories. However, our results from the Accusand column showed that deposition was minimal at the lowest IS (1mM) and increased significantly as the IS increased. The effluent breakthrough occurred with a delay, followed by a rapid rise to the maximum normalized concentration of unity. Negligible deposition in the column packed with ultrapure quartz sand (100mM) and Accusand (1mM) rules out the effect of straining and suggests the importance of surface charge heterogeneity in QD deposition in Accusand at higher IS. Data analyses further show that only a small fraction of sand surface area contributed in QD deposition even at the highest IS (100mM) tested. The observed delay in breakthrough curves of QDs was attributed to the fast diffusive mass transfer rate of QDs from bulk solution to the sand surface and QD mass transfer on the solid phase. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis were used to examine the morphology and elemental composition of sand grains. It was observed that there were regions on the sand covered with layers of clay particles. EDX spectra collected from these regions revealed that Si and Al were the major elements suggesting that the clay particles were kaolinite. Additional batch experiments using gold NPs and SEM analysis were performed and it was observed that the gold NPs were only deposited on clay particles originally on the Accusand surface. After removing the clays from the sand surface, we observed negligible QD deposition even at 100mM IS. We proposed that nanoscale charge heterogeneities on clay particles on Accusand surface played a key role in QD deposition. It was shown that the value of solution IS determined the extent to which the local heterogeneities participated in particle deposition.     

Atmospheric oxidation of elemental mercury by ozone in the aqueous phase

The aqueous phase oxidation of elemental mercury by ozone has been investigated in the laboratory using a quartz glass reactor with gas phase concentrations of 400–1800ng m⁻³ and 70–200 ppb for Hg(0) and O₃, respectively. The absorption of Hg in the water phase was increased by three orders of magnitude with O₃ present. If the oxidation were to proceed with the same speed in liquid water in contact with the atmosphere,conversion rales of 1–4% h⁻¹ would be implied. Experiments using ambient urban air with 2–6 ng Hg m⁻³ confirm the process at elevated O₃ concentrations. At ambient O₃ concentrations competitive reactions become important, e.g. O₃ consumption by SO₂, hydrocarbons etc., and even some reduction of Hg²⁺ could occur. The atmospheric oxidation of Hg(0) by O₃ in water is thus considered important at high O₃ levels in regionally polluted or remote areas.     

Transport of a decay chain in homogenous porous media: analytical solutions

With the aid of integral transforms, analytical solutions for the transport of a decay chain in homogenous porous media are derived. Unidirectional steady-state flow and radial steady-state flow in single and multiple porosity media are considered. At least in Laplace domain, all solutions can be written in closed analytical formulae. Partly, the solutions can also be inverted analytically. If not, analytical calculation of the steady-state concentration distributions, evaluation of temporal moments and numerical inversion are still possible. Formulae for several simple boundary conditions are given and visualized in this paper. The derived novel solutions are widely applicable and are very useful for the validation of numerical transport codes.     

Persulfate oxidation of trichloroethylene with and without iron activation in porous media

In situ chemical oxidation with persulfate anion (S2O82*) is a viable technique for remediation of groundwater contaminants such as trichloroethylene (TCE). An accelerated reaction using S2O82* to destroy TCE can be achieved via chemical activation with ferrous ion to generate sulfate radicals (SO4*)(E degrees =2.6 V). The column study presented here simulates persulfate oxidation of TCE in porous media (glass beads and a sandy soil). Initial experiments were conducted to investigate persulfate transport in the absence of TCE in the column. The persulfate flushing exhibited a longer residence time and revealed a moderate persulfate interaction with soils. In TCE treatment experiments, the results indicate that the water or persulfate solution would push dissolved TCE from the column. Therefore, the effluent TCE concentration gradually increased to a maximum when about one pore volume was replaced with the flushing solution in the column. The presence of Fe2+ concentration within the column caused a quick drop in effluent TCE concentration and more TCE degradation was observed. When a TCE solution was flushing through the soil column, breakthrough of TCE concentration in the effluent was relatively slow. In contrast, when the soil column was flushed with a mixed solution of persulfate and TCE, persulfate appeared to preferentially oxidize soil oxidizable matter rather than TCE during transport. Hence, persulfate oxidation of soil organics may possibly reduce the interaction between TCE and soil (e.g., adsorption) and facilitate the transport of TCE through soil columns resulting in faster breakthrough.     

Flow behavior and residual saturation formation of liquid carbon tetrachloride in unsaturated heterogeneous porous media

The formation of residual, discontinuous nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) in the vadose zone is a process that is not well understood. To obtain data that can be used to study the development of a residual NAPL saturation in the vadose zone and to test current corresponding models, detailed transient experiments were conducted in intermediate-scale columns and flow cell. The column experiments were conducted to determine residual carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) saturations of two sands and to evaluate the effect of CCl(4) vapors on the water distribution. In the intermediate-scale flow cell experiment, a rectangular zone of the fine-grained sand was packed in an otherwise medium-grained matrix. A limited amount of CCl(4) was injected from a small source and allowed to redistribute until a pseudo steady state situation had developed. A dual-energy gamma radiation system was used to determine fluid saturations at numerous locations. The experiments clearly demonstrated the formation of residual CCl(4) saturations in both sands. Simulations with an established multifluid flow simulator show the shortcomings of current relative permeability-saturation-capillary pressure (k-S-P) models. The results indicate that nonspreading behavior of NAPLs should be implemented in simulators to account for the formation of residual saturations.     

臭氧-过硫酸钠高级氧化降解土霉素废气

为去除禽畜养殖粪便高温堆肥过程产生的土霉素(OTC)废气,采用臭氧-过硫酸钠(O₃/PS)高级氧化方法,在喷淋装置中降解土霉素(OTC)废气。通过对比不同条件下装置对OTC废气的去除率,考察了O₃及PS对OTC废气去除率及耦合作用。结果表明：O₃/PS喷淋塔对OTC去除率可达94.7%,O₃直接氧化作用的加入使OTC的去除率提高了6.2%~15.9%;加入PS后,OTC的去除率增加了13.9%~23.2%,这是由8.6%~13.7%的·OH氧化作用和4.5%~7.5%的${\rm{SO}}_4^{ \cdot - }$氧化作用引起的。结合高分辨液质联用仪(LC-TOF-MS/MS)分析OTC的降解产物,可以看出,OTC在O₃/PS喷淋塔中经过O₃、·OH和${\rm{SO}}_4^{ \cdot - }$的氧化后,生成了4种主要中间产物,即C₂₀H₁₈N₂O₈、C₂₂H₂₀N₂O₈、C₁₂H₁₆O₂和C₁₃H₂₁O₃。由此可知,OTC废气能被喷淋装置有效去除,并被O₃/PS氧化降解。以上研究结果为含OTC废气的产生、检测和处理提供了参考。     

煤化工高盐废水臭氧催化氧化脱除COD

针对煤化工高盐废水中有机物难降解问题,采用浸渍-煅烧法制备了负载有活性金属氧化物的活性氧化铝型催化剂,探索催化剂的制备工艺和反应操作条件对废水COD去除率的影响。结果表明：活性氧化铝载体催化性能优于陶粒,活性氧化铝负载Cu、Mn、Ni的催化活性较高,将2种活性组分进行组合制得的MnO_x-NiO_x/γ-Al₂O₃催化剂,在经过60 min的臭氧催化氧化后,COD的去除率可达51.3%;利用BET、SEM-EDS、XRD对催化剂进行了表征和分析,Mn、Ni成功负载到活性氧化铝表面和孔隙内,2种元素负载量摩尔比约为2∶1,且主要以氧化物形式存在;通过计算臭氧利用效率,发现MnO_x-NiO_x/γ-Al₂O₃臭氧催化氧化的η值低于单独的臭氧氧化,这意味着通过MnO_x-NiO_x/γ-Al₂O₃催化剂可以有效地将臭氧分解成活性氧;通过优化臭氧和催化剂投加量后发现,在臭氧为350 mg·(L·h)⁻¹、催化剂投加量为100 g·L⁻¹废水中,反应180 min后,COD去除率可达到72.3%;在连续进行4 h的臭氧催化氧化实验后,MnO_x-NiO_x/γ-Al₂O₃稳定性和重复利用性均较好,COD去除率能维持在约42%,锰、镍离子的溶出量均小于0.5 mg·L⁻¹。以上研究结果可为高效的臭氧催化体系在煤化工高盐废水处理领域的应用提供参考。     

Decomposition of gas phase 1,3-butadiene by ultraviolet/ozone process

A pilot-scale plug-flow reactor was built to investigate its performance in treating airborne 1,3-butadiene (BD) via ozonation (O3) and ultraviolet (UV)/O3 technologies. Governing factors, such as the initial molar ratio of ozone to BD, UV volumetric electric input power, and moisture content in the influent airstream, were investigated. Experiments were conducted at an influent BD concentration of approximately 50 ppm, an ambient temperature of 26 degrees C, and a gas retention time of 85 sec. Results show that an initial molar ratio of ozone to BD of 3.5 and 2 sufficed to obtain BD decompositions of >90% for ozonation and UV/O3, respectively. The UV irradiance did not directly promote the decomposition of BD, rather, it played a role in promoting the production of secondary oxidants, such as hydroxyl radicals. Kinetic analyses indicate that both types of BD decomposition are peudo-first-order with respect to BD concentrations. Moisture content (relative humidity = 40-99%) and UV volumetric electric input power (0.147 and 0.294 W/L) are both factors that weakly affect the rate of BD decomposition. Economic evaluation factors, including both energy of ozone production and UV electric input power, were also estimated.     

用于臭氧氧化烟气脱硝与烟气余热回收的一体化实验台

锅炉烟气中的NOx是大气污染的重要原因之一。针对燃气锅炉NOx超低排放的要求、以及烟气中大量余热被浪费的现状,提出了烟气脱硝与余热回收一体化的新方法,搭建了一体化实验台,在逆流式烟气喷淋塔中,进行了采用臭氧氧化烟气脱硝、并同时回收烟气余热的实验研究。研究了O3/NO摩尔比、液气比、碱液吸收对脱硝效果的影响,并对脱硝与余热回收的耦合关系进行了分析。在实验室实验的基础上,进一步进行了实际工程的中试研究。结果表明,烟气脱硝与余热回收一体化是可行的,实验台实验中,当烟气温度为83.0 ℃、喷淋水温度为46.4 ℃、液气比为14.8 m3·L-1、O3/NO摩尔比为1.6时,脱硝率为30%,同时回收烟气余热量18.5 kW。     

Aqueous phase oxidation of sulfites by ozone in the presence of iron and manganese

The oxidation of sulfur^IVspecies by ozone in aqueous solution was studied at 295 K, with pH between 4 and 6, pO₃ between 0.3 and 2.0 ppm (v), S^IV between 5 × 10⁻⁶ and 1 × 10⁻⁶ M, and Fe and Mn between 1 × 10⁻⁴and 5 × 10⁻⁶ M. Throughout this range the oxidation rates were simultaneously first order in S^IV and pO₃, and in the absence of added Fe or Mn displayed a rate coefficient equal to 0.12 + 0.02 mm⁻¹ ppm (v)⁻¹. With added Fe or Mn at concentrations above 10⁻⁵ M the rate coefficients each show maxima near to pH 4.5 of 0.27± 05 × 10⁵M⁻¹ min⁻¹ ppm⁻¹and 0.68 ±.08 × 10⁵M⁻¹ min⁻¹ ppm⁻¹. respectively. Near this pH the rates were first order with respect to concentrations of the metal ions. A phosphate citrate buffer system at 10⁻⁴ M slows the Fe catalyzed oxidation. No non-additive effect of simultaneous catalysis by Fe and Mn was observed.     

One-dimensional simulation of solute transfer in saturated–unsaturated porous media using the discontinuous finite elements method

A one-dimensional transport model for simulating water flow and solute transport in homogeneous–heterogeneous, saturated–unsaturated porous media is presented. The model is composed of a combination of accurate numerical algorithms for solving the nonlinear Richard's and advection–dispersion equations (ADE). The mixed form of Richard's equation is solved using a standard finite element method (FEM) with primary variable switching. The transport equation is solved using operator splitting, with the discontinuous finite element method (DFE) for discretization of the advective term. A slope limiting procedure for DFE avoids numerical instabilities but creates very limited numerical dispersion for high Peclet numbers. An implicit finite differences scheme (FD) is used for the dispersive term.The unsaturated flow and transport model (Wamos-T) is applied to a variety of rigorous problems including transient flow, heterogeneous medium and abrupt variations of velocity in magnitude and direction due to time-varying boundary conditions. It produces accurate and mass-conservative solutions for a very large range of grid Peclet numbers. The Wamos-T model is a good and robust alternative for the simulation of mass transport in unsaturated domain.