Transport and fate of emerging contaminants in subsurface soils

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In the rush to introduce profitable new consumer products, our world has been inundated with chemical species that can spread and contaminate our environment. This proposal addresses the urgent need to study the migration of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) -- a class of contaminants of "emerging concern" -- in soil. Significant gaps in current knowledge of these contaminants include their occurrence, transport, and transformation mechanisms. This lack of understanding is worrying due to the persistence, adverse health effects and ecological risks of PFCs. PFCs are used as stain repellents and incorporated in a multitude of consumer and industrial products, the majority of which ultimately end up in landfills. Biosolids from wastewater treatment plants also contain PFCs. My proposed study of the engineering aspects of these contaminants will be the first of its kind in Canada. My team would investigate (i) how PFCs are entering and spreading in the environment, and (ii) how PFCs are transported in subsurface soils in both solutes and their associated gas phases. We will utilize a unique and novel apparatus to determine the migration of gases in soil, overcoming shortcomings of previous measurement techniques. This work will involve the training of three PhD, one MASc and a number of MEng and undergraduate students, providing new Canadian expertise to deal with future contaminant issues. Filling the current knowledge gaps could lead to the development and improvement of essential prevention, remediation and treatment methods.This study forms an integral part of my overall research program, which focuses on understanding the mechanisms of contamination; their sources, release and spread in the environment; the fate and transport of contaminants in subsurface soils; environmental risk; and the protection of human health and the environment.