Mathematical model development and simulation of in situ stabilization in lead-contaminated soils

Abstract

Stabilization and remediation of lead-contaminated soils has received considerable attention recently. Amending Pb-contaminated soils with phosphate as an in situ remediation option has been proposed as an alternative to other remediation options, such as soil removal. Research shows that hydroxyapatite (HA) [Ca 5(PO 4) 3OH] can reduce the bioavailability of Pb efficiently and thus is considered as an ideal phosphate source for formation of lead pyromorphite. Environmental models are increasingly being relied upon to help identify the limiting factors in such kind of in situ remediation. In this work, the contaminated aggregates remediation model has been developed and simulated to describe the effects of initial contaminant concentration, diffusion coefficient, and aggregate diameter on the time of remediation which is defined as the time required to reduce the aqueous phase lead concentration to <1 ppb. Results of simulation demonstrate that the aggregate size plays a significant role in remediation. The compartments-in-series model has been used to describe the dynamics of in situ stabilization in a soil bed. Results show that for a shallow bed a single, well-mixed, one compartment model gives approximately the same remediation time as the three compartments-in-series model.