contaminant behaviour, lectures 1 and 2 Flashcards
(31 cards)
ways in which contaminants reach groundwater
river infiltration
lak infiltration
vadose zone leaching
direct injection
9 contaminants
organic material fecal pollution nutrients radioactive material trace metals DOM acid rain nitrate salinisation
3 contaminants that are different for ground water
DOM, already has naturally low O2
nutrients, only N is bad, P adsorbs
acid rain- rock buffer
what is advection
transport by the bulk movement of the flowing groundwater, at an average rate= average v of groundwater
what is the other transport process called
hydrodynamic dispersion
definition of hydrodynamic dispersion
process by which the contaminant spreads away from the direct advection path
three processes of hydrodynamic disperion
differential movement across channel area
difference in pore sizes, channeling solutes
molecular diffision
draw each of those processes, plus the tracer column, and the 2d dispersion of a continuous and point source
ok
what make good tracers
stable unreactive (conservative ) chemicals,
chloride
nitrate
boron
caffiene
what is the simplest option for modelling
assume chemical behaves conservatively
goes with the flow
dilution and dispersion
retardation can be due to
die off
radioacrtive decay
chemical break down
adsorption by host rock
attributes of bacteria
large
adsorb to minerals
survive days to weeks
attributes of viruses
weeks to months
very small
protozoa
complex life-cycle
resistant in some stages of life-cycle
large
weeks to months
what is the distribution coefficeint
K=S/c
=host rock contam conc/ contam conc
what can rock interaction do with water (4)
buffering, PH and carbonate chemistry
host rock redox control
form new precipitates
adsorption of minerals to rock
draw carbonate and carbonic acid reactions, and fractrion curve for them
ok
draw oxidisation graph, with upper and lower limits of water
ok
why and what controls redox reactions
fe and mn because 02 so low
example reaction for precipitation
cu2+ +s-2= CuS K=aCu2+.aS-2
example of adsorption of cu2+
Cu2+ +mineral—OH = mineral—)Cu+ +H+
what can be a problem of adosrption/precipitation
creates reservoirs
examples of chemicals that reduce states
metals
sulphate to H2S
Nitrate (denitrification)
what isnt as important for gw
temp, PH BOD etc, ecology limited