ABSTRACT
Understanding the way in which pollutants migrate and react in aquifer environments is becoming of paramount importance in developing alternative environmental remediation technologies. Of particular importance, because of their abundance, are those compounds that have a tendency to be biodegradable under certain environmental conditions (Semprini et al., 1992). One of the limitations to this understanding is the natural intrinsic heterogeneity of aquifer environments, which is in itself a major source of uncertainty. This uncertainty is reflected in the way contaminants are transported in the field (Gelhar and Axness, 1983; Sudicky, 1986). At the same time, questions regarding the specific mechanisms by which biodegradation takes place in aquifer environments at a field scale are yet to be addressed in the literature. Laboratory experiments typically employ controlled homogeneous environments designed to elucidate isolated phenomena and consequently do not capture the complex interactions that are likely to control in the field. This is where mathematical modeling can become a useful tool in identifying the factors that control the processes that occur, thereby providing a framework for the interpretation of field-scale experiments and the design of in situ bioremediation applications.
