Colloid Release from Geochemically Heterogeneous Porous Media Surfaces

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9705717 Elimelech This is an award to support research on colloid-facilitated transport of contaminants in groundwater aquifers. Objectives of the project are to develop a theoretical model for release of colloidal particles from porous media of groundwater aquifers and to conduct experiments to evaluate the model's constituent hypothesis that colloid release from chemically heterogeneous porous media surfaces following reductions in ionic strength is controlled by colloid to colloid interactions rather than by interactions between colloids and grain mineral. The experiments will be conducted using laboratory columns packed with porous media having varied ratios of clean and surface modified grains using well-defined colloidal suspensions. Results of this project are expected to improve our basic understanding of the mechanisms that control the transport and mobility of colloids in groundwater. This knowledge can be directly applied to engineering design of systems for decontamination of groundwater and may have broader significance in improving design and operation of filtration processes, chromatographic separations and other processes that involve separation of particles from fluids in which they are suspended. ***