Impact of grain scale heterogeneity on slow sorption kinetics

Abstract

AbstractGroundwater contamination by dissolved organic compounds frequently occurs in valley aquifers that consist of highly heterogeneous sand and gravel sediments. Remediation and risk assessment (e.g. reactive transport modeling) requires detailed information on the sorption/desorption kinetics in such aquifer materials. In this paper we present data on slow sorption kinetics of phenanthrene and the composition of several aquifer materials that are typical for southern Germany and Switzerland. The heterogeneity of the aquifer material is described in terms of the physical and chemical properties (e.g., grain size, organic carbon content, intraparticle porosity, sorption parameters, and rate constants for intraparticle diffusion) of the sediment constituents (lithocomponents). Phenanthrene sorptive uptake in a heterogeneous bulk sample can be predicted using a numerical model only if the composition and geochemical heterogeneity (different sorptivities and porosities of the lithocomponents) are considered. It could be shown that even within a narrow grain size fraction, the geochemical heterogeneity has to be incorporated for the prediction of long‐term sorptive uptake or release of organic contaminants.