The modeling of reactive solute transport with sorption to mobile and immobile sorbents: 1. Experimental evidence and model development

Abstract

Modeling carrier‐influenced transport needs to take into account the reactivity of the carrier itself. This paper presents a mathematical model of reactive solute transport with sorption to mobile and immobile sorbents. The mobile sorbent is also considered to be reactive. To justify the assumptions and generality of our modeling approach, experimental findings are reviewed and analyzed. A transformation of the model in terms of total concentrations of solute and mobile sorbents is presented which simplifies the mathematical formulations. Breakthrough data on dissolved organic carbon are presented to exemplify the need to take into account the reactivity of the mobile sorbent. Data on hexachlorobiphenyl and cadmium are presented to demonstrate carrier‐introduced increased mobility, whereas data on anthracene and pyrene are presented to demonstrate carrier‐introduced reduced mobility. The experimental conditions leading to the different findings are pointed out. The sorption processes considered in the model are both equilibrium and nonequilibrium processes, allowing for different sorption sites and nonlinear isotherms and rate functions. Effective isotherms, which describe the sorption to the immobile sorbent in the presence of a mobile sorbent and rate functions, are introduced and their properties are discussed.