Electrokinetics - A novel approach to assess contaminant mobility in soils

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Soil and groundwater contamination resulting from agricultural and industrial activities is a growing, worldwide problem, with far-reaching ecological, economic and health implications. Site assessment and clean-up are most challenging when dealing with fine-grained soils and aquifers containing mixtures of multiple hazardous materials. The design of soil remediation strategies depends critically on the ability to characterize and monitor the in situ mobility of the contaminants. In this Engage project, the Ecohydrology Research Group at the University of Waterloo and Geosyntec Consultants will join forces to develop a new method for determining the potential mobility of contaminants in fine-grained soils based on electrokinetics (EK). So far, environmental EK applications have targeted soil remediation - here, we propose to transform EK into a reliable and cost-effective environmental assessment technology. To demonstrate the technology, we will use existing electrokinetic cells at the University of Waterloo to measure the mobilization of representative organic pollutants from a range of soils that will be supplied by Geosyntec. The proof-of-concept experiments conducted at the University of Waterloo will therefore yield knowledge that is directly relevant to ongoing field remediation efforts by Geosyntec. By closely integrating the development of EK as a characterization technique to full-scale remediation projects of contaminated sites, we will accelerate its acceptance by industry and regulators, and contribute to putting Canada at the forefront of environmental EK technology.