Understanding and presenting simple closed-form expressions for enhanced
dispersivity in aquifers colonized by biofilms
Abstract
The growth of bioflm in porous media causes disruption in the
groundwater flow patterns. In conservative tracer tests performed in
columns, this translates in significant changes in the observed
breakthrough curves (BTCs) in bio-ammended as compared to biofilm-free
porous media, then translated to bioclogging-dependent interpreted
hydraulic parameters. While the impact upon reduction in saturated
hydraulic conductivity values has been widely explained and modeled,
this has not been the case for the reported significant increase in
apparent dispersivity values. We present here simple, yet practical,
expressions for the evaluation of enhanced effective dispersivity
coefficients in bio-ammended saturated porous media, based on the
modification of the BTCs (in terms of temporal moments) with respect to
the biofilm-free porous media and for a number of proposed models with
slightly different underlying hypotheses. The advantage of the
expressions provided is that they are written in terms of observables
that are relatively easy to measure in the lab or the field, contrarily
to existing expressions that relate the effect to channelization caused
by pore constriction assuming a simple geometry for the biofilm. One
model is then used to interpret nine column experiments from the
literature, allowing to use data of measured dispersivity, porosities,
and flow rate to provide a lumped parameter that incorporates
accessibility of solutes to biofilm by a mass transfer term between the
biofilm and the flowing water.