PuSH - Publication Server of Helmholtz Zentrum München

Tosco, T.* ; Bosch, J. ; Meckenstock, R.U. ; Sethi, R.*

Transport of ferrihydrite nanoparticles in saturated porous media: Role of ionic strength and flow rate.

Environ. Sci. Technol. 46, 4008-4015 (2012)
DOI PMC
Open Access Green as soon as Postprint is submitted to ZB.
The use of nanoscale ferrihydrite particles, which are known to effectively enhance microbial degradation of a wide range of contaminants, represents a promising technology for in situ remediation of contaminated aquifers. Thanks to their small size, ferrihydrite nanoparticles can be dispersed in water and directly injected into the subsurface to create reactive zones where contaminant biodegradation is promoted. Field applications would require a detailed knowledge of ferrihydrite transport mechanisms in the subsurface, but such studies are lacking in the literature. The present study is intended to fill this gap, focusing in particular on the influence of flow rate and ionic strength on particle mobility. Column tests were performed under constant or transient ionic strength, including injection of ferrihydrite colloidal dispersions, followed by flushing with particle-free electrolyte solutions. Particle mobility was greatly affected by the salt concentration, and particle retention was almost irreversible under typical salt content in groundwater. Experimental results indicate that, for usual ionic strength in European aquifers (2 to 5 mM), under natural flow condition ferrihydrite nanoparticles are likely to be transported for 5 to 30 m. For higher ionic strength, corresponding to contaminated aquifers, (e.g., 10 mM) the travel distance decreases to few meters. A simple relationship is proposed for the estimation of travel distance with changing flow rate and ionic strength. For future applications to aquifer remediation, ionic strength and injection rate can be used as tuning parameters to control ferrihydrite mobility in the subsurface and therefore the radius of influence during field injections.
Impact Factor
Scopus SNIP
Web of Science
Times Cited
Scopus
Cited By
Altmetric
5.228
1.937
88
108
Tags
Annotations
Special Publikation
Hide on homepage

Edit extra information
Edit own tags
Private
Edit own annotation
Private
Hide on publication lists
on hompage
Mark as special
publikation
Publication type Article: Journal article
Document type Scientific Article
Keywords SECONDARY ENERGY MINIMUM; PHYSICOCHEMICAL FILTRATION; MICROBIAL REDUCTION; COLLOID TRANSPORT; IRON REDUCTION; DEPOSITION; AGGREGATION; SUBSURFACE; PARTICLES; FATE
Language
Publication Year 2012
HGF-reported in Year 2012
ISSN (print) / ISBN 0013-936X
e-ISSN 1520-5851
Quellenangaben Volume: 46, Issue: 7, Pages: 4008-4015 Article Number: , Supplement: ,
Publisher ACS
Publishing Place Washington, DC
Reviewing status Peer reviewed
POF-Topic(s) 20403 - Sustainable Water Management
Research field(s) Environmental Sciences
PSP Element(s) G-504300-004
PubMed ID 22356610
Scopus ID 84859350799
Erfassungsdatum 2012-04-19