Chapter 13 - Transport of colloidal materials in ground water

Abstract

This chapter reviews some of the current literature on the transport of colloidal contaminants in ground water and soils. It describes the transport of viruses in soils and ground water, and the role of colloids in the transport of pollutants in ground water. It illustrates the important processes involved and the main factors that control the transport of colloidal materials. It presents model predictions of travel distances of colloidal materials in saturated porous media. These predictions were calculated using theories of colloid deposition and filtration in porous media. Contamination of ground waters by pathogenic viruses is a major health concern. Penetration of pathogenic viruses into ground waters is usually attributed to the causes such as leaky sewer lines, infiltration from septic tanks, rain infiltration through sanitary landfills, artificial recharge of ground waters by treated domestic sewage, infiltration from lagoons and oxidizing ponds, and land application of municipal wastewater. Although the number of viruses reaching the ground water from these sources can be significantly reduced while the water is flowing through the soil, the potential health hazards still exist as a single virus may be sufficient to cause a disease.