Microbial transport in soils and groundwater: A numerical model

Abstract To serve as a tool in the long term evaluation of the risk of accumulation of microbial contaminants (bacteria and viruses) entering soil and groundwater, a mathematical model is developed to predict the spatial and temporal distribution of pollutant concentration. The governing equation for bacterial transport is coupled with a transport equation for the bacterial nutrient present in the seeping wastewater. The deposition and declogging mechanisms are incorporated into the model as a rate process for bacteria and as an equilibrium partitioning for viruses. While the decay is assumed to be a first order reaction and the growth of bacteria is assumed to follow the Monod equation, the model equations exhibit nonlinearity and coupling. A simplified set of equations is solved analytically to test the numerical results. Coupled numerical solutions in one and two dimensions are obtained by the Galerkin method at spatial and temporal locations of interest. Cases studied included a soil column and a horizontal two-dimensional field coupled with the one dimensional solution. For these examples, the bacteria are removed almost totally within the top 7 cm of soil with minimal risk of clogging.

[1]  A. Ogata Mathematics of dispersion with linear adsorption isotherm , 1964 .

[2]  Anthony F. Gaudy,et al.  Microbiology for environmental scientists and engineers , 1981 .

[3]  G. J. Farquhar,et al.  Modeling of leachate organic migration and attenuation in groundwaters below sanitary landfills , 1982 .

[4]  W. G. Gray,et al.  Finite Element Simulation in Surface and Subsurface Hydrology , 1977 .

[5]  G. Bitton,et al.  On the value of soil columns for assessing the transport pattern of viruses through soils: A critical outlook , 1979 .

[6]  John C. Romero,et al.  The Movement of Bacteria and Viruses Through Porous Media , 1970 .

[7]  Charles P. Gerba,et al.  Fate of Wastewater Bacteria and Viruses in Soil , 1975 .

[8]  A. G. Wollum,et al.  Transport of Microorganisms in Sand Columns , 1978 .

[9]  M. Anderson,et al.  The Effects of Urbanization on Ground-Water Quality - A Case Study. , 1979, Ground water.

[10]  C. Gerba,et al.  Viruses in groundwater , 1980 .

[11]  L. Spielman,et al.  Particle Capture from Low-Speed Laminar Flows , 1977 .

[12]  J. Monod,et al.  Recherches sur la croissance des cultures bactériennes , 1942 .

[13]  W. Burge,et al.  Virus Adsorption by Five Soils , 1978 .

[14]  R. G. Butler,et al.  Underground Movement of Bacterial and Chemical Pollutants , 1954 .

[15]  J. Bear Hydraulics of Groundwater , 1979 .

[16]  G. W. Thomas,et al.  Movement of Bacteria Through Macropores to Ground Water , 1983 .

[17]  D E Koshland,et al.  Quantitative analysis of bacterial migration in chemotaxis. , 1972, Nature: New biology.

[18]  G. T. Orlob,et al.  Movement of Coliform Bacteria through Porous Media. , 1958 .

[19]  M. Yavuz Corapcioglu,et al.  Transport and fate of microorganisms in porous media: A theoretical investigation , 1984 .

[20]  L. Segel,et al.  Model for chemotaxis. , 1971, Journal of theoretical biology.

[21]  C. Gerba,et al.  The Use of Microorganisms as Ground‐Water Tracers: A Review , 1982 .

[22]  Charles R. O'Melia,et al.  Water and waste water filtration. Concepts and applications , 1971 .

[23]  P. Rao,et al.  Transport of Reactive Solutes through Multilayered Soils1 , 1977 .

[24]  G. Bitton Introduction to environmental virology , 1980 .