(391i) Electrokinetic Separation of Heavy Metals in Porous Media: An Experimental Approach

Leaching of some industrial byproducts has been linked to health issues. This project will study the behavior of charged contaminants like copper, lead, and arsenic as they move through porous media. The project has specific relevance of heavy metal contamination of the ground water in areas where the metallic mining industry is prevalent. The objective is to explore the effects of different kinds of external fields (electric and a combination of both) on the diffusivity coefficients of the charged heavy metal particles in the saturated porous media. The electrolyte concentration will be varied in order to measure its effects on the diffusivity coefficients. By emulating the experimental design after a traditional Hele-Shaw cell, the first ever experimental results will be generated for radial diffusion of a charged solute. Measurements will be taken to find the effective mass diffusion coefficient in model soils to test the rate of contaminant spreading. The fundamental equation is Fick’s Law, the first experiment will focused on the motion of contaminant along r, radial distance that the species travels over time. An image analysis software will be used to measure the charged particles in terms of concentration (intensity) versus position and time. Electrical fields can be imposed in these types of cells model low Reynolds number, constant flow, constant density, and one-dimensional flow are usually assumed.