MODELING OF HEAVY-METAL TRANSPORT IN A CONTAMINATED SOIL

Observed depth profiles in soils polluted by Zn and Cu that originate from a metal smelter are quantitatively interpreted by combining the production history of the smelter with established transport models. Using independent laboratory and field data, we were able to calculate the present depth profiles semiquantitatively by applying the pure convection model without parameter fitting. The agreement of the calculated depth profiles with the experimental data can be improved by including dispersion effects in the convection-dispersion model or the stochastic convection model. For the latter model, the depth profiles were calculated analytically. These models were used to calculate the expected depth profiles in the future and to judge possible remediation strategies.