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Lookup NU author(s): Professor David WernerORCiD, Professor Richard Luthy
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The validity of a hydrophobic organic contaminant mass transfer model to predict the effectiveness of in situ activated carbon (AC) treatment under stagnant sediment–AC contact is studied for different contaminants and sediments. The modeling results and data from a previous 24-month column experiment of uptake in polyethylene samplers are within a factor of 2 for parent- and alkylated-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in petroleum-impacted sediment and factors of 3–10 for polychlorinated biphenyls. The model successfully reproduces the relative effects of AC–sediment contact time, contaminant properties, AC particle size, AC mixing regime, AC distribution, and hydraulic conditions observed in the sediment column experiments. The model tracks contaminant concentrations in different sediment compartments over time, which provides useful information on the contaminant sequestration by the added AC. Long-term projection of the effectiveness of AC amendment using the model shows that the effects of AC particle size and particle-scale heterogeneity in AC distribution are pronounced within a year or so. However, the effect of those factors becomes less significant after a much longer contact period (on the order of a decade or two), resulting in substantial reduction in pore-water concentrations, for example, greater than 99% for benz[a]anthracene, under various scenarios.
Author(s): Choi Y, Cho Y, Werner D, Luthy RG
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Environmental Science and Technology
Year: 2014
Volume: 48
Issue: 3
Pages: 1843-1850
Print publication date: 04/02/2014
Online publication date: 10/01/2014
Acceptance date: 10/01/2014
ISSN (print): 0013-936X
ISSN (electronic): 1520-5851
Publisher: American Chemical Society
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es404209v
DOI: 10.1021/es404209v
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