ABSTRACT
Bioclogging may reduce the success of bioremediation, because due to microbial activity, contaminated parts of an aquifer can clog and rates of degradation can decrease in these parts. Controlled clogging of an aquifer may be used to build up biobarriers which could be used to increase the success of remediation. For these reasons, it is necessary to investigate and understand the way bacteria or biomass related to bacterial growth (e.g. polysaccharides) can change the flow parameters of a given medium. Pore network models are used to simulate the change of the hydraulic properties of pore networks due to microbial growth. Changes of flow and nutrient transport due to the reduction of the pore radii was included into the models, assuming constant hydraulic head boundaries at the inflow and outflow of the pore network. In general, pore network models are a useful tool to simulate the relation of reduction hydraulic conductivity and volume of biomass on a pore scale.
