Electrokinetics - A novel approach to assess contaminant mobility in soils

农业和工业活动造成的土壤和地下水污染是一个日益严重的世界性问题，具有深远的生态、经济和健康影响。在处理含有多种有害物质混合物的细粒土壤和含水层时，场地评估和清理最具挑战性。土壤修复策略的设计关键取决于表征和监测污染物原位流动性的能力。在这个Engage项目中，滑铁卢大学的生态水文学研究小组和Geosyntec咨询公司将联手开发一种新方法，用于确定基于电动力学（EK）的细粒土壤中污染物的潜在流动性。到目前为止，环境EK应用针对土壤修复-在这里，我们建议将EK转化为一种可靠且具有成本效益的环境评估技术。为了演示该技术，我们将使用滑铁卢大学现有的电动电池来测量Geosyntec提供的一系列土壤中代表性有机污染物的动员。因此，在滑铁卢大学进行的概念验证实验将产生与Geosyntec正在进行的实地补救工作直接相关的知识。通过将EK作为表征技术的发展与污染场地的全面修复项目紧密结合，我们将加速行业和监管机构的接受，并有助于将加拿大置于环境EK技术的最前沿。

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.