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Modelling the Competitive Sorption Process of Multiple Solutes During their Transport in Porous Media

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Abstract

A general mathematical model to solve the advection–dispersion transport equation for multiple solutes was developed, where the dual porosity mobile–immobile mass transfer, the two-site non-equilibrium model and first-order transformation reactions were included. The two-site model was expressed with an equilibrium sorption term and a kinetic term. One of three kinetic models could be used: the non-linear, the bilinear and the pore diffusion model. The traditional Freundlich or Langmuir isotherms were employed to simulate no-interaction between the solutes, but with the extended Freundlich or extended Langmuir isotherms, a competitive sorption could be simulated. The transport equation was solved with the Moving Concentration Slope method. The mathematical model was tested and further simplified by using real data from soil column experiments, with 1,2-cis-dichloroethene and trichloroethene as model contaminants and silica gel and real soil samples as porous medium.

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Acknowledgments

The research is part of the Bavarian Network-Project “Sustainable Management of Contaminated Sites in Consideration of Natural Attenuation”. It is funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection. The authors also wish to thank the financial support from the DAAD in Germany.

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  1. Lehrstuhl für Umweltverfahrenstechnik und Recycling, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Paul-Gordan-Str. 3, 91052, Erlangen, Germany

    Manuel Alejandro Salaices Avila & Roman Breiter

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  1. Manuel Alejandro Salaices Avila
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  2. Roman Breiter
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Correspondence to Roman Breiter.

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Salaices Avila, M.A., Breiter, R. Modelling the Competitive Sorption Process of Multiple Solutes During their Transport in Porous Media. Environ Model Assess 14, 615–629 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10666-008-9168-0

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