Skip to main content
Log in

Modeling Microbial Transport and Biodegradation in a Dual-porosity System

  • Published:
Transport in Porous Media Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A mathematical model describing microbial transport and growth in a heterogeneous aquifer domain, composed of overlapping subdomains of high-permeability and low-permeability materials, is developed. Each material is conceptually visualized as a continuum which occupies the entire considered spatial aquifer domain. Based on the assumption that advection in the low-permeability domain is negligible, the mathematical model is solved by using a publically available reactive transport code. The importance of modeling microbial transport and growth in such a dual-porosity system is demonstrated through a hypothetical case study.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barenblatt, G. I., Zheltov, I. P. and Kochina, I. N.: 1960, Basic concepts in the theory of seepage of homogeneous fluids in fissure rocks, J. Appl. Math. Mech. Engng. Trans. 24(4), 1286-1303.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bear, J.: 1979, Groundwater Hydraulics, McGraw-Hill, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bear, J., Nichols, E., Ziagos, J. and Kulshrestha, A.: 1994, Effect of contaminant diffusion into and out of low-permeability zones, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borden, R. C. and Bedient, P. B.: 1986, Transport of dissolved hydrocarbons influenced by oxygenlimited bioremediation: 1. Theoretical development, Water Resour. Res. 22(13), 1973-1982.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter, D.W.: 1984, Assessment of contamination in soils and groundwater at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, and Adjacent Properties, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94551 (UCAR-10180).

    Google Scholar 

  • Clement, T. P., Hooker, B. S. and Skeen, R. S.: 1996, Numerical modeling of biologically reactive transport near nutrient injection well, J. Env. Engng. 122(9), 833-839.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clement, T. P., Sun, Y., Hooker, B. S. and Petersen, J. N.: 1998, Modeling multi-species reactive transport in groundwater aquifers, Spring, Groundwater Monitoring and Remediation, 18(2), 79-92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, R. M., Vincent, A. H., Mercer, J. W., Faust, C. R., Spalding, C. P. and Matthews, J.: 1994, Methods for monitoring pump-and-treat performance, Robert Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory, Ada, Oklahoma, EPA/600/R-94/123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Corapcioglu, M.Y. and Haridas, A.: 1985, Microbial transport in soils and groundwater: a numerical model, Adv. Water Resour. 8, 189-199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Corapcioglu, M. Y. and Haridas, A.: 1984, Transport and fate of microorganisms in porous media: a theoretical investigation, J. Hydrology 72, 149-169.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dykhuizen, R. C.: 1990, A new coupling term for dual-porosity models, Water Resour. Res. 26(2), 351-356.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerke, H. H. and van Genuchten, M. T.: 1993a,Adual-porosity model for simulating the preferential movement of water and solutes in structured porous media, Water Resour. Res. 29(2), 305-391.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerke, H. H. and van Genuchten, M. T.: 1993b, Evaluation of a first-order water transfer term for variably saturated dual-porosity flow models, Water Resour. Res. 29(4), 1225-1238.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grisak, G. E. and Pickens, J. F.: 1980, Solute transfer through fractured media: 1. The effect of matrix diffusion, Water Resour. Res. 16(4), 719-730.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey, R. W., Smith, R. L. and George, L.: 1984, Effect of organic contamination upon microbial distribution and heterotrophic uptake in a Cape Cod, MA Aquifer, Appl. Environ. Biol. 48, 1197-1202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, J. R. and Hendry, M. J.: 1996, Transport of bacteria through geologic media, Can. J. Microbiol. 42, 410-422.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, B., Loehle, C. and Malon, D.: 1996, Microbial transport through heterogeneous porous media: random walk, fractal, and percolation approaches, Ecological Modeling 85, 285-302.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kindred, J. S. and Celia, M. A.: 1989, Contaminant transport and bioremediation: 2. Conceptual model and test simulations, Water Resour. Res. 25(6), 1149-1159.

    Google Scholar 

  • Molz, F. J., Widdowson, M. A. and Benefield, L. D.: 1986, Simulation of microbial growth dynamic coupled to nutrient and oxygen transport in porous media, Water Resour. Res. 22(8), 1207-1216.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rifai, S. H. and Bedient, P. B.: 1990, Comparison of biodegradation kinetics with an instantaneous reactions model for groundwater, Water Resour. Res. 26(4), 637-645.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rittmann, B. E.: 1993, The significance of biofilms in porous media, Water Resour. Res. 29, 2195-2202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun, Y.: 1995, Optimization of pump-treat-inject technology for remediation of contaminated aquifers, PhD Dissertation, Technion, Israel.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang, D. H., Frind, E. O. and Sudicky, E. A.: 1981, Contaminant transport in fractured porous media: analytical solution for a single fracture, Water Resour. Res. 17, 555-564.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, C.: MT3D, 1990, Amodular three-dimensional transport model for simulation of advection, dispersion and chemical reaction of contaminants in groundwater systems, USEPA Report.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sun, Y., petersen, J.N., Bear, J. et al. Modeling Microbial Transport and Biodegradation in a Dual-porosity System. Transport in Porous Media 35, 49–65 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006551627151

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006551627151

Navigation