Author: Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
At least two distinct kinds of hydrogeochemical models have evolved historically for use in analyzing contaminant transport, but each has important limitations. One kind, focusing on organic contaminants, treats biodegradation reactions as parts of relatively simple kinetic reaction networks with no or limited coupling to aqueous and surface complexation and mineral dissolution/precipitation reactions. A second kind, evolving out of the speciation and reaction path codes, is capable of handling a comprehensive suite of multicomponent complexation (aqueous and surface) and mineral precipitation and dissolution reactions, but has not been able to treat reaction networks characterized by partial redox disequilibrium and multiple kinetic pathways. More recently, various investigators have begun to consider biodegradation reactions in the context of comprehensive equilibrium and kinetic reaction networks (e.g. Hunter et al. 1998, Mayer 1999). Here we explore two examples of multiple equilibrium and kinetic reaction pathways using the reactive transport code GIMRT98 (Steefel, in prep.): (1) a computational example involving the generation of acid mine drainage due to oxidation of pyrite, and (2) a computational/field example where the rates of chlorinated VOC degradation are linked to the rates of major redox processes occurring in organic-rich wetland sediments overlying a contaminated aerobic aquifer.