Fate and remediation of contaminants in groundwater

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The release of contaminants associated with the disposal of solid and liquid wastes has resulted in degradation of water quality in adjacent aquifers and surface water bodies. Development of effective management approaches to prevent future contaminant releases requires an accurate understanding of the physical and (bio)geochemical processes controlling contaminant migration and attenuation in the subsurface. The primary objectives of this research program are to delineate processes controlling the fate of metals and metalloids at large-scale industrial sites and processes controlling the fate of emerging contaminants at wastewater disposal sites. Geochemical characterization studies will be conducted at sites associated with the chemical manufacturing industry, in particular, sites contaminated by the discharge of mercury catalysts in the early part of the last century. These studies will delineate geochemical and transport processes, including the rate of transformation among mercury solid-phases, and the role of colloids in transporting mercury. Remediation studies will be conducted to develop technologies to promote the stabilization of mercury, with a particular emphasis on stabilizing mercury present in the colloidal to nanoparticle size range through application of reagents and solid-phase reactive media. These studies will provide information to improve predictions of mercury release over the decade to century time-scale and development of management options. Field studies will be conducted at domestic wastewater sites to evaluate the fate of medications, stimulants, hormones, personal care products, and artificial sweeteners in the subsurface. Laboratory solute transport experiments will be conducted to assess sorption and degradation mechanisms under controlled flow conditions. Novel remediation methods to reduce concentrations of emerging chemicals will be developed.