Gareth Barns

Tracer tests in groundwater for assessment of pollutant behaviour

PhD Research Student

Address:
GPRG
Kroto Research Institute
North Campus, University of Sheffield
Broad Lane
Sheffield
S3 7HQ
United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 (0)114 22 25784
Fax: +44 (0)114 222 5701
Room: G21

Current research interests

The project furthers the current work on the aquifer assessment tool (AAT) project. It will involve laboratory, sandbox and field tests to determine the applicability of reactive tracers and tracer cocktails to the dipole flow test.

Field tests will be carried out at the SIReN site at Carrington, involving a full scale prototype of the AAT, for a sandstone aquifer. The sandbox, at (2m)3, provides a scaled down version of the AAT in a controlled unconsolidated sand aquifer environment. Column and 2-D tests will be carried out in the laboratory.

Tracers currently approved for use are NaBr, NaF, MgSO4, EDTA, methanol, K acetate and Na fluorescein. The aim of the tests is to successfully determine the cation exchange capacity and selectivity coefficients, adsorption capacity for metals and organics and kinetic parameters for biodegradation.