Pollution

• Materials with harmful impacts on the

natural environment
Pollution Pathways
Point Sources
Non-point Source
 Decay and Decomposition
• Biodegradation
• Radioactive Decay
• Chemical reactions
 Bioconcentration
• Bioaccumulation
– Contaminants are retained and concentrated in
tissues of organisms
• Biomagnification
– Concentration of the contaminant increases up
the food chain
 Residence Time
Average length of time a substance remains in a particular reservoir

 residence  M
Cinput  Finput

Inlet Outlet
Stream Stream

Precipitation Lake Dissolution

Sedimentation
 Sediment Pollution
• Contamination of sediment by hazardous
substances
• Sediment itself acts as a pollutant
– Siltation
 Water Quality
• Water quality depends on intended use
• Standards vary with political jurisdiction
• Standards reflect
– immediate health risks
– long term health risks
– ascetic
– analytical technology
 Natural Influences
• Common constituents of freshwaters
– Ca, Na, K, Mg, Cl, SO4= ,HCO3-
• Composition of water depends on rock type
– toxic elements can occur naturally
• Flow rates can affect concentrations
– higher concentrations at low flow
 Types of Pollutants
• Organic Matter (Oxygen-demanding waste)
• Infectious Agents
• Nutrients
• Toxic Substances
• Acidic and Caustic Effluents
• Thermal Pollution
• Suspended Solids
 Organic Contaminants
High Dissolved O2

Low Biochemical
Oxygen
Demand

Stream

Sewage Discharge Plume

Plant
 Eutrophication
• High biological activity resulting from
increased input of nutrients or organic
matter with the ultimate development of a
decreased volume of the lake
• A natural stage in the life cycle of lakes
• Can be accelerated by human activity
cultural eutrophication
 Toxic Substances
• Chlorinated organic compounds
– DDT, Dioxins, PCB
• Heavy Metals
– Cd, Pb, Sn, Hg
• Hydrocarbons
– benzene, PAH
Groundwater Pollution
 Groundwater Pollution Sources
• leaks from storage • Leakage and seepage
tanks from mine spoils piles
• leaks from landfills and tailings
• seepage from septic • improper operation of
systems injection wells
• accidental spills • infiltration of urban,
• seepage from spray industrial, and
irrigation agricultural runoff
 Advection

Water Flow
 Retardation
• Retardation Factor
Vgroundwater
Rf 
Vcontaminant
• Retarded by
– Dispersion
– Sorption
– Biodegradation
Dispersion
Sorption
 Non-Aqueous Liquids

Organic Liquid Water

Water Organic Liquid

Light Dense
Non- Non-
Aqueous Aqueous
Phase Phase
Liquid Liquid
 LNAPL
Oil

Vadoze Zone
Plume

Saturated Zone

Bedrock
 DNAPL
Trichloroethylene TCE

Vadoze Zone

Saturated Zone
Plume

Bedrock
 Decontamination
• Passive Remediation
• Active Remediation
– Extraction wells
– Vapor extraction
– Bioremediation -biostimulation
– inject chemicals