Reductive Dissolution and Metal Transport in Subsurface Sediments: A Modeling Approach
Sevinc Sengor
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Southern Methodist University
ABSTRACT: Heavy metal toxicity has been observed in various aqueous systems, including rivers, lakes and marine waters. Most of these metals are toxic and carcinogenic to biota, including humans, such that significant negative human and ecological impacts result from metal-enriched dust, soil and water. It is vital to understand and quantify the biogeochemical reactions controlling the fate and transport of these metals to effectively model and predict changes in metal concentrations and microbial populations with respect to time and space. Sengor presents examples that cover a range of biotic and abiotic geochemical processes typically encountered in shallow subsurface environments, such as redox disequilibrium, reductive dissolution, sorption/desorption and co-precipitation, supporting innovative strategies to reduce human health risks and environmental damage from metal contaminated sites.
