Dynamics of coupled contaminant and microbial transport in heterogeneous porous media. 1997 annual progress report

'Dynamic microbial attachment/detachment occurs in subsurface systems in response to changing environmental conditions caused by contaminant movement and degradation. Understanding the environmental conditions and mechanisms by which anaerobic bacteria partition between aqueous and solid phases is a critical requirement for designing and evaluating in situ bioremediation efforts. This interdisciplinary research project will provide fundamental information on the attachment/detachment dynamics of anaerobic bacteria in heterogeneous porous media under growth and growth-limiting conditions. Experiments will provide information on passive and active attachment/detachment mechanisms used by growing anaerobes capable of reductive dechlorination. Theoretical representations of these attachment/detachment mechanisms will be incorporated into existing groundwater flow and contaminant transport models that incorporate heterogeneity effects and can be used to predict behavior at field scales. These mechanistic-based models will be tested against experimental data provided through controlled laboratory experiments in heterogeneous porous media in large (meter-scale) 2-D flow cells. In addition to a mechanistic-based predictive model, this research will lead to new theories for the transient spatial distribution of microbial populations and contaminant plumes in heterogeneous porous media, improving the capability for designing staged remediation strategies for dealing with mixed contaminants.