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Influence of Transient Flow on Contaminant Biodegradation

The rate of biodegradation in contaminated aquifers depends to a large extent on dispersive mixing processes that are now generally accepted to result from spatial variations in the velocity field. It has been shown, however, that transient flow fields can also contribute to dispersive mixing. The influence of transient flow on biodegrading contaminants is particularly important since it can enhance mixing with electron acceptors, further promoting the reactive process. Using numerical simulations, the effect of transient flow on the behavior of a biodegradable contaminant is evaluated here both with respect to the development of apparently large horizontal transverse dispersion and also with respect to enhanced mixing between the substrate (electron donor) and electron acceptor. The numerical model BIO3D, which solves for advective‐dispersive transport coupled with Monod‐type biodegradation of substrates in the presence of an electron acceptor, was used for the simulations. The model was applied in a two‐dimensional plan view mode considering a single substrate. Transient flow fields were found to yield larger apparent transverse dispersion because the longitudinal dispersivity also acts transverse to the mean flow direction. In the reactive case, the transient flow field increases substrate‐oxygen mixing, which in turn enhances the overall rate of biodegradation. The results suggest that in the case of moderate changes of flow directions, a steady‐state flow field can be justified, thereby avoiding the higher computational costs of a fully transient simulation. The use of a higher transverse horizontal dispersivity in a steady flow field can, under these conditions, adequately forecast plume development.