Abstract
This paper presents a first attempt at the inclusion of some biological impacts and influences in the authors’ continued research on coupled transport phenomena through unsaturated porous media. The work presented here forms an extension to an existing coupled Thermo-Hydraulic-Chemical–Mechanical Model (THCM) to include the biological aspects, as a first attempt towards a new THCMB framework. The biological model incorporates biodegradation kinetics of organic substrates and resultant effects in the inorganic geochemistry. In order to achieve this, the biological aspects of the model are coupled to an equilibrium geochemical model following a two-step partial equilibrium approach. Additionally, of concern in contaminant/pollutant transport studies, including the biological aspects, is the effect on human health. This paper therefore also presents some aspects of a health impact analysis model adopted in this study.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allison JD, Brown DS, Novo-Gradac KJ (1991) MINTEQA2/PRODEFA2, a geochemical assessment model for environmental systems: version 3.0 user’s manual. Environmental Research Laboratory, US EPA, Georgia
Amber WR (2007) Enhanced natural attenuation of organic chemical contaminants in groundwater. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University
Bear J, Verruijt A (1987) Modeling groundwater flow and pollution. D Reidel, Dordrecht
Brice KM (2007) An investigation into the use of chicken manure to enhance the biodegradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University
Brun A, Engesgaard P (2002) Modelling of transport and biogeochemical processes in pollution plumes: literature review and model development. J Hydrol 256:211–227. doi:10.1016/S0022-1694(01)00547-9
Brun A, Engesgaard P, Frind EO (1994) A coupled microbiology-geochemistry transport model for saturated groundwater flow. In: Dracos TH, Stauffer F (eds) Transport and reactive processes in aquifers. Balkema, Rotterdam, pp 457–462
Christensen TH, Kjeldsen P, Albrechtsen H-J, Heron G, Nielsen PH, Bjerg PL, Holm PE (1994) Attenuation of landfill leachate pollutants in aquifers. Crit Rev Environ Sci Technol 24(2):119–202
Cleall PJ, Seetharam SC, Thomas HR, Chalabi Z, Dowie J, Leonardi G (2005) Development of a framework for integrated health impact analysis of geoenvironmental pollution. In: Barla G, Barla M (eds) Proceeding of 11th IACMAG, vol 3. Pàtron editore, Torino, Italy, pp 93–100
Cleall PJ, Seetharam SC, Thomas HR (2007a) On the inclusion of some aspects of chemical behaviour of an unsaturated soil in thermo-hydro-chemical-mechanical models: part I model development. J Eng Mech ASCE 133(3):338–347. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9399(2007)133:3(338)
Cleall PJ, Seetharam SC, Thomas HR (2007b) On the inclusion of some aspects of chemical behaviour of an unsaturated soil in thermo-hydro-chemical-mechanical models: part II application: transport of soluble salts in a compacted bentonite. J Eng Mech ASCE 133(3):348–356. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9399(2007)133:3(348)
Craun GF (ed) (1986) Waterborne diseases in the United States. CRC Press, Boca Raton
Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) (2009) Press release—no new coal without CCS—miliband. Press Release 2009/050
GRP Project (2007) Home page [online]. Available from: http://www.grc.cf.ac.uk/grp. Accessed 2 Jan 2007
Islam J, Singhal N (2002) A one-dimensional reactive multi-component landfill leachate transport model. Environ Model Softw 17(6):531–543. doi:10.1016/S1364-8152(02)00009-9
Khan AA, Hoque S, Huq SM, Kibria KQ, Hoque MA (2003) Evidence of bacterial activity in the release of arsenic—a case study from the Bengal delta of Bangladesh. J Geol Soc India 61(2):209–214
Konhauser K (2007) Introduction to geomicrobiology. Blackwell, London
Lewis RW, Schrefler BA (1998) The finite element method in the static and dynamic deformation and consolidation of porous media. Wiley, Chichester
Pusch R, Yong RN (2006) Microstructure of smectite clays and engineering performance. Taylor and Francis, Oxford
Schrefler BA (2001) Computer modelling in environmental geomechanics. Comput Struct 79:2209–2223
Seetharam SC, Thomas HR, Cleall PJ (2007) Coupled thermo/hydro/chemical/mechanical model for unsaturated soils—numerical algorithm. Int Methods Numer Methods Eng 70:1480–1511. doi:10.1002/nme.1934
Shaw D, Thomas HR (2004) Mobility of arsenic in saturated, laboratory test sediments under varying pH conditions. In: Proceedings of the 4th BGA geoenvironmental engineering conference, vol 1. pp 256–259
Smith SL, Jaffe PR (1998) Modeling the transport and reaction of trace metals in water-saturated soils and sediments. Water Resour Res 34(11):3135–3147
Stroes-Gascoyne S, West JM (1996) An overview of microbial research related to high-level nuclear waste disposal with emphasis on the Canadian concept for the disposal of nuclear fuel waste. Can J Microbiol 42:349–366
Tan BK, Yong RN, Thomas HR (2006) Leaching column tests on arsenic-soil interactions. Adv Unsaturated Soil, Seepage. Env Geotech (GSP 148) 192(35):306–314. doi: 10.1061/40860(192)35
Thomas HR (ed) (2005) Opportunities, challenges and responsibilities for environmental geotechnics. In: Proceedings of 5th ICEG Environmental Geotechnics, vol 1 and 2. Thomas Telford, London
Thomas HR, He Y (1995) Analysis of coupled heat, moisture and air transfer in a deformable unsaturated soil. Géotechnique 45(4):677–689
Thomas HR, He Y, Onofrei C (1998) An examination of the validation of a model of the hydro/thermo/mechanical behaviour of engineered clay barriers. Int J Numer Anal Methods Geomech 22:49–71. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1096-9853(199801)22:1<49:AID-NAG908>3.0.CO;2-I
United Nations (1998) Kyoto protocol to the United Nations framework convention on climate change, United Nations
Walter AL, Frind EO, Blowes DW, Ptacek CJ, Molson JW (1994) Modelling of multicomponent reactive transport in groundwater: model development and evaluation. Water Resour Res 30(11):3137–3148. doi:10.1029/94WR00955
Yong RN (2001) Geoenvironmental engineering, contaminated soils, pollutant fate and mitigation. CRC Press, Boca Raton. doi:10.1016/S0304-3894(02)00053-5
Yong RN, Mulligan CN, Fukue M (2006) Geoenvironmental sustainability. CRC Press, Boca Raton
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Thomas, H.R., Seetharam, S.C. & Vardon, P.J. On the Inclusion of Some Biological Impacts and Influences in Coupled Transport Phenomena in Unsaturated Soil. Geotech Geol Eng 29, 181–191 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-010-9316-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-010-9316-6