MECHANISMS OF SOIL

CONTAMINATION

EN – 305
Lecture - 4
 SOIL CONTAMINATION
• Soil pollution is the contamination of soil with
harmful substances that can adversely affect the
quality of the soil and the health of those living
on it.
• Pollution can be the result of an accident or
carelessness, or done on purpose through illegal
dumping.
• Pollution is also a by-product of activities as
normal as household activities or maintaining a
farm.
 MECHANISMS
The environment can contaminate soil by three
basic mechanisms
1. Rainfall, such as acid rains falling onto a
sanitary landfill, oil or chemical waste spilled
into the ground
2. Human activities (Dumping)
3. Physico-chemical alterations, which allow
polluting substances to move within or
between soil layers
 EFFECTS ON SOIL PROPERTIES
Soil response to environments depends on
• Soil structure
• Geochemical parameters
(Mineralogical and chemical characteristics)
• Groundwater characteristics
• Soil-water interaction (contaminant transport)
 CONTAMINANT TRANSPORT
Factors responsible for contaminant transport are
1. Advection (along hydraulic gradient)
2. Diffusion (along concentration gradient)
3. Dispersion (along groundwater velocity)
These processes solely are responsible for
contaminant migration for non-reactive
contaminants. Chemical mass transfer and
microbial degradation are considered for reactive.
 ADVECTION
Advection/Convection refers to contaminant
movement by flowing water in response to
hydraulic gradient, and it governed by Darcy’s law
Q = K(dh/dl)
Average/effective seepage is dependent on
effective porosity
So, Effective Velocity= {K(dh/dl)}/ƞe
Where, Ƞe is effective porosity
 DIFFUSION
• Diffusion is the movement of a contaminant from
a region of higher concentration to the region of
lower concentration. This may facilitate the
movement of a chemical against the hydraulic
gradient, too.
• It is expressed by Fick’s law
Fd = -D*(dc/dx)
• Where Fd is diffusive mass flux per unit time per
unit area; D* is effective diffusion coefficient; and
dc/dx is the concentration gradient
ADVECTION vs DIFFUSION
 DISPERSION
• The movement/mixing of contaminant in
different directions in soil is referred to as
dispersion.
• At macroscale, contaminant transport is
defined as average groundwater velocity.
• On the other hand, at microscale, actual
velocity of water may be higher or lower than
the average velocity depending on the pore
size, path length, and friction in pores.
DISPERSION vs DIFFUSION
• The mixing of contaminant in the direction of
flow path is called longitudinal mixing.
• Mixing is also observed in direction normal to
path of flow, and is referred to as transverse
mixing.
• Both longitudinal and transverse dispersion
are a function of average velocity.
• This mixing/movement of contaminant along
the groundwater flow is referred to as
hydrodynamic dispersion.
 RETARDATION
• Relatively lower velocity of contaminant in comparison to
groundwater flow is referred to as retardation
• The contaminant has properties dissimilar to
groundwater and may get adsorbed/absorbed resulting
in relatively slow movement
• Retardation factor is ratio of total concentration of a
contaminant present in unit volume of aquifer to the
concentration present dissolved in groundwater in that
unit volume
Retardation factor = R
= (Average groundwater velocity)/(Velocity of contaminant)
• R≥1 (value of R is 1 for chloride)