TWO-DIMENSIONAL MODELING OF THE FATE AND TRANSPORT OF EXPLOSIVE CHEMICALS NEAR SOIL-ATMOSPHERIC INTERFACES SUBJECTED TO ADVECTION PROCESSES

The transport and detection of organic compounds (TNT, DNT and related substances) derived from landmines sources are influenced by environmental, soil, and landmine source factors. These factors include: temperature, pressure, soil type (physical and chemical properties), water content, compaction, landmine flux, location, and age. Several studies have attempted to predict the effect of some of these factors on the fate and transport of explosive related compounds (ERCs) in soils, but few have develop systematic methodology to generate data for model validation.

This research studies the effect of environmental and soil factors on the fate, transport, and subsequent chemical detection of ERCs near soil-atmospheric interfaces subjected to advection processes in soils. The research is being conducted in 2-D soil columns instrumented with air and water pressure sensors and sampling ports to monitor hydraulic conditions and ERC concentration profiles in soil when exposed to different environmental conditions. The data obtained from these physical models allows the characterization and quantification of sorptive, diffusive, mass transfer, advective, and reactive transport processes of ERCs in soils. Fate and transport variables obtained through inverse modeling of the data will be incorporated into more complex 3-D soil physical models, which will serve to quantify the effect of variable environmental conditions on the spatial and temporal concentration distributions of ERCs near soil-atmospheric interfaces.