Title: Modelling dissolution of multi-component non-aqueous phase liquids using Pareto distributions

Authors: Ayman G. Awadallah, Maged M. Hamed

Addresses: Faculty of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Cairo University, Fayoum Campus, Fayoum, Egypt. ' Faculty of Engineering, Department of Public Works, Cairo University, Giza 12211, Egypt

Abstract: A distributed-site non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) dissolution model that can capture the physical process of dissolution is presented. The model uses a Pareto distribution of effective interfacial area and a correlation for the mass transfer. Model parameters are obtained using a formal constrained non-linear optimisation technique. The model is applied on effluent data from two soil column experiments. The results of the Pareto distributed site model, with only two parameters to fit, were compared to two-site and multi-site models as well as the beta distributed site model. The Pareto distributed-site model produces equal or smaller error estimates than the other models.

Keywords: groundwater; water pollution; NAPL; dissolution; modelling; Pareto distribution; non-aqueous phase liquids; mass transfer; effluent.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2008.017913

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2008 Vol.32 No.3, pp.291 - 310

Published online: 23 Apr 2008 *

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