Adaptable method for estimation of parameters describing bacteria transport through porous media from column effluent data: Optimization based on data quality and quantity

摘要

Bacterial transport through porous media is often modeled using the colloid filtration theory with a Langmuirian blocking function (CFT-LB), with experimentally derived transport parameters being the collision efficiency, the blocking parameter, and the clean-bed breakthrough concentration. Research trends are moving towards comparing small variations in these parameters as a function of experimental conditions, and the objective of this study was to determine impact of experimental design, including number of data points and experimental duration, on the suitability of the CFT-LB model to provide sufficient resolution to permit these comparisons. The results indicate that while the CFT-LB model captures the general trends in bacterial transport data, there are cases where the CFT-LB model cannot replicate the details in the column effluent curves, and this results in the estimated transport parameters varying as a function of the experimental duration. Impacts of these variations on interpretation of the transport parameters are discussed, and a recommended procedure is provided when applying the CFT-LB model to column effluent data. Ultimately, when the CFr-LB model is used to estimate bacterial transport parameters, the process should be completely transparent, allowing the general reader to know exactly how the transport parameters were obtained from the experimental data. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.