Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Particle Transport and Deposit Morphology at the Sediment/Water Interface
EPA Grant Number: R825513C022Subproject: this is subproject number 022 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R825513
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: HSRC (2001) - South and Southwest HSRC
Center Director: Reible, Danny D.
Title: Particle Transport and Deposit Morphology at the Sediment/Water Interface
Investigators: Wiesner, Mark R.
Institution: Rice University
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: January 1, 1995 through January 1, 1998
Project Amount: Refer to main center abstract for funding details.
RFA: Hazardous Substance Research Centers - HSRC (1989) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Hazardous Substance Research Centers , Land and Waste Management
Objective:
The study focused on deposits formed under two conditions of two extremes of fluid flow; quiescent settling and deposition from turbulent flow. This work was to answer specific questions including: "What does the interface look like?"; "What are the transport mechanisms that determine rate of deposition and the structure of the interface?"; and "What are the kinetics of formation of various portions of the interface?". One premise of the work was that the morphology of the interface is intimately related to, and in some cases predictable from the characteristics of the suspended particles and the local fluid flow. This study yields critical information needed to calculate mass transport across the sediment/water "boundary", to interpret data obtained from sediment cores, to determine sampling protocols for sediments, and to assess sediment remediation schemes.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
This work combined models for particle transport and transformation to describe the formation of the sediment/water interface under conditions in which particle deposition rather than resuspension dominate the overall flux of particles to and from sediment. The work was compose of four interrelated tasks: 1) particle deposition under different conditions of fluid flow experiments performed using laboratory suspensions of particles of various sizes and surface chemistries; 2) similar experiments were conducted using sediment material collected from Galveston Bay or another source; 3) experimental results were compared with numerical simulations of the deposition process; and 4) to better define the chemistry of the colloidal and fineparticle phases that exist in Galveston Bay.
Computer simulations were performed to predict the rate of fineparticle deposition and the structure of the deposit. The simulations involved fineparticle transport algorithms and morphology algorithms. Theoretical and simulated predictions of deposition rate and the morphology of simulated sediments were compared to the rate of deposition and morphology of laboratory sediments. Laboratory sediments were created in both zero flow and turbulent crossflow regimes.
Influence of Turbulence on Cohesive Fineparticle Deposition Rate and
Morphology
Deposit density measurements are highly variable. It is unclear
whether the variability is inherent in the system, or simply an artifact of the
chemical freezing and drying process. Deposits formed under widely differing flow
regimes do not display any significant difference in structure, as measured by
fractal dimension. The influence of hydrodynamic diffusion and reorganization do
not appear to significantly alter deposit structure from that of which would
form in their absence. Both simulations and experiments suggest no difference in
D with u*. Simulating reorganization by considering an artificially low
probability of particles sticking upon collision more accurately predicts
experimentally observed fractal dimensions. Qualitative features predicted by
simulation were not observed. Again it is unclear whether the features existed
prior to chemical freezing and drying of samples. The experimentally observed
flux was far lower than that predicted by the McCave model. This model appears
to underestimate the decrease in flux observed at higher particle concentrations
due to viscous sublayer instability.
Colloidal Transport of Elements from an Urban Watershed during a Storm
Event
Quantification of the colloidal material by ICP analysis and its
morphological and chemical characterization by means of electron microscopy in
surface waters during a storm event show that the chemical nature of the
colloidal material varies during the storm event. There is a dominance of
colloidal carbon at the beginning of the storm followed by a dominance of
colloidal silica at the period of maximum water discharge. The different sources
of material and the reasons for which colloidal materials enter the urban
waterway at different times still are unknown. A watershed is a complex system
where different water sources are connected to each other (streams, soil
moisture and ground water). Different hypothesis can be suggested for temporal
variability of colliodal materials. First, colloidal materials carried to the
point of sampling may come from different locations upstream, each one with a
different colloidal chemical signature. Second, the sources of colloidal
material may be similar, but released at different times during the storm
process. Thus the chemical signature seen at the point of sampling reflects that
of the different loadings over time from similar sources. Finally, the colloidal
material at any "one" location may actually represent a blend of material from
surface runoff, soil moisture, and groundwater. Future work on smaller
watersheds will aid in resolving this issue.
Deposit Morphology and Head Loss Development in Porous Media
Experimental
observations of nondispersed latex particles filtered through a bed of spherical
glass beads indicated that flow rate plays an important role in head loss
development by influencing the morphology of the deposits as well as the deposit
distribution along the depth of the bed. The distributions of the deposits along
the depth of porous media was more uniform at higher velocities. Deposits formed
at low filtration (Darcy) velocities produced higher specific head loss (head
loss per unit particle mass deposited) compared to the deposits formed at higher
velocities. The fractal dimensions of the deposits increased with increase in
velocity at either end of the range of flow rate (0.002-0.4 cm/s) investigated.
This is consistent with the low specific head losses observed at higher
superficial velocities and with the theory of increasing fractal dimension as
particle transport becomes more ballistic. The low fractal dimensions observed
in the intermediate velocities (0.04 to approximately 0.15 cm/s) appear to be
due to the formation of compact columnar structures. This conclusion was
supported by Monte-Carlo simulations of colloidal deposition from 2-D stagnation
flow which were performed to approximate particle deposition at the top of
filter grains.
Hydrodynamics of Fractal Aggregates with Radially Varying
Permeability
Hydrodynamic properties of fractal aggregates with radially
varying permeability are usefully approximated by a constant porosity aggregates
with appropriately averaged characteristics. A simple model coupling the
Happel's cell model with fractal geometry is used to estimate the permeability
of the aggregate as a function of radial distance. Resistance to the fluid flow
through the aggregate is observed to increase with increasing fractal dimension
of the aggregate. The fluid collection efficiency of the aggregate decreases
with increasing fractal dimension and is closely related to the drag coefficient
for the aggregate. For a given fractal dimension, the drag coefficient increases
with aggregate size, while the fluid collection efficiency decreases. The drag
on a porous aggregate is well approximated as that of an aggregate with a
constant volume-averaged permeability.
The predicted ratio of the hydrodynamic radius of the aggregate to its radius of gyration compared well with an experimentally observed value reported in the literature, given the assumptions in the theoretical work and uncertainties in the experimental work.
Journal Articles on this Report : 4 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other subproject views: | All 7 publications | 5 publications in selected types | All 4 journal articles |
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Other center views: | All 392 publications | 154 publications in selected types | All 106 journal articles |
Type | Citation | ||
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Grout H, Tarquis MA, Wiesner MR. Multifractal analysis of particle size distributions in soil. Environmental Science & Technology 1998;32(9):1176-1182. |
R825513C022 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Thill A, Veerapaneni S, Simon B, Wiesner M, Bottero JY, Snidaro D. Determination of structure of aggregates by confocal scanning laser microscopy. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 1998;204(2):357-362. |
R825513C022 (Final) |
not available |
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Veerapaneni S, Wiesner MR. Deposit morphology and head loss development in porous media. Environmental Science & Technology 1997;31(10):2738-2744. |
R825513C022 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Wiesner MR. Morphology of particle deposits. Journal of Environmental Engineering 1999;125(12):1124-1132. |
R825513C022 (Final) |
not available |
Supplemental Keywords:
deposition, fluid flow, and suspended particles., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Water, Waste, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Chemical Engineering, Contaminated Sediments, Environmental Chemistry, Fate & Transport, Analytical Chemistry, Hazardous Waste, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Engineering, Hazardous, environmental technology, sediment treatment, hazardous waste management, hazardous waste treatment, risk assessment, fate and transport, contaminated marine sediment, soil and groundwater remediation, biodegradation, contaminated sediment, kinetics, chemical contaminants, contaminated soil, bioremediation of soils, deposit morphology, marine sediments, remediation, chemical kinetics, hydrology, biotransformation, currents, anaerobic biotransformation, technology transfer, heavy metals, aquifer fate and treatment, technical outreachProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractMain Center Abstract and Reports:
R825513 HSRC (2001) - South and Southwest HSRC Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R825513C001 Sediment Resuspension and Contaminant Transport in an Estuary.
R825513C002 Contaminant Transport Across Cohesive Sediment Interfaces.
R825513C003 Mobilization and Fate of Inorganic Contaminant due to Resuspension of Cohesive Sediment.
R825513C004 Source Identification, Transformation, and Transport Processes of N-, O- and S- Containing Organic Chemicals in Wetland and Upland Sediments.
R825513C005 Mobility and Transport of Radium from Sediment and Waste Pits.
R825513C006 Anaerobic Biodegradation of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene and Other Nitroaromatic Compounds by Clostridium Acetobutylicum.
R825513C007 Investigation on the Fate and Biotransformation of Hexachlorobutadiene and Chlorobenzenes in a Sediment-Water Estuarine System
R825513C008 An Investigation of Chemical Transport from Contaminated Sediments through Porous Containment Structures
R825513C009 Evaluation of Placement and Effectiveness of Sediment Caps
R825513C010 Coupled Biological and Physicochemical Bed-Sediment Processes
R825513C011 Pollutant Fluxes to Aquatic Systems via Coupled Biological and Physicochemical Bed-Sediment Processes
R825513C012 Controls on Metals Partitioning in Contaminated Sediments
R825513C013 Phytoremediation of TNT Contaminated Soil and Groundwaters
R825513C014 Sediment-Based Remediation of Hazardous Substances at a Contaminated Military Base
R825513C015 Effect of Natural Dynamic Changes on Pollutant-Sediment Interaction
R825513C016 Desorption of Nonpolar Organic Pollutants from Historically Contaminated Sediments and Dredged Materials
R825513C017 Modeling Air Emissions of Organic Compounds from Contaminated Sediments and Dredged Materials title change in last year to "Long-term Release of Pollutants from Contaminated Sediment Dredged Material"
R825513C018 Development of an Integrated Optic Interferometer for In-Situ Monitoring of Volatile Hydrocarbons
R825513C019 Bioremediation of Contaminated Sediments and Dredged Material
R825513C020 Bioremediation of Sediments Contaminated with Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons
R825513C021 Role of Particles in Mobilizing Hazardous Chemicals in Urban Runoff
R825513C022 Particle Transport and Deposit Morphology at the Sediment/Water Interface
R825513C023 Uptake of Metal Ions from Aqueous Solutions by Sediments
R825513C024 Bioavailability of Desorption Resistant Hydrocarbons in Sediment-Water Systems.
R825513C025 Interactive Roles of Microbial and Spartina Populations in Mercury Methylation Processes in Bioremediation of Contaminated Sediments in Salt-Marsh Systems
R825513C026 Evaluation of Physical-Chemical Methods for Rapid Assessment of the Bioavailability of Moderately Polar Compounds in Sediments
R825513C027 Freshwater Bioturbators in Riverine Sediments as Enhancers of Contaminant Release
R825513C028 Characterization of Laguna Madre Contaminated Sediments.
R825513C029 The Role of Competitive Adsorption of Suspended Sediments in Determining Partitioning and Colloidal Stability.
R825513C030 Remediation of TNT-Contaminated Soil by Cyanobacterial Mat.
R825513C031 Experimental and Detailed Mathematical Modeling of Diffusion of Contaminants in Fluids
R825513C033 Application of Biotechnology in Bioremediation of Contaminated Sediments
R825513C034 Characterization of PAH's Degrading Bacteria in Coastal Sediments
R825513C035 Dynamic Aspects of Metal Speciation in the Miami River Sediments in Relation to Particle Size Distribution of Chemical Heterogeneity
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.
Project Research Results
4 journal articles for this subproject
Main Center: R825513
392 publications for this center
106 journal articles for this center