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Publications

Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).

Filter Total Items: 4097

Screening tests for assessing the anaerobic biodegradation of pollutant chemicals in subsurface environments Screening tests for assessing the anaerobic biodegradation of pollutant chemicals in subsurface environments

Screening methods were developed to assess the susceptibility of ground water contaminants to anaerobic biodegradation. One method was an extrapolation of a procedure previously used to measure biodegradation activity in dilute sewage sludge. Aquifer solids and ground water with no additional nutritive media were incubated anaerobically in 160-ml serum bottles containing 250 mg·l−1...
Authors
Joseph M. Suflita, Frank Concannon

Groundwater transport of crater-lake brine at Poa´s Volcano, Costa Rica Groundwater transport of crater-lake brine at Poa´s Volcano, Costa Rica

Poa´s Volcano is an active stratovolcano in Costa Rica that has a lake in its active crater. The crater lake has high temperatures (50–90 °C), high acidity (pH ≈ 0.0), and a high dissolved-solids content (100 g/kg). The volcano has numerous freshwater springs on its flanks, but a few on the northwestern flank are highly acidic (pH = 1.6–2.5) and have high dissolved-solids concentrations...
Authors
Ward E. Sanford, Leonard F. Konikow, Gary L. Rowe, Susan L. Brantley

Remediation of uranium contaminated soils with bicarbonate extraction and microbial U(VI) reduction Remediation of uranium contaminated soils with bicarbonate extraction and microbial U(VI) reduction

A process for concentrating uranium from contaminated soils in which the uranium is first extracted with bicarbonate and then the extracted uranium is precipitated with U(VI)-reducing microorganisms was evaluated for a variety of uranuum-contaminated soils. Bicarbonate (100 mM) extracted 20–94% of the uranium that was extracted with nitric acid. The U(VI)-reducing microorganism...
Authors
Elizabeth Philips, Edward R. Landa, Derek R. Lovely

Using borehole flow logging to optimize hydraulic-test procedures in heterogeneous fractured aquifers Using borehole flow logging to optimize hydraulic-test procedures in heterogeneous fractured aquifers

Hydraulic properties of heterogeneous fractured aquifers are difficult to characterize, and such characterization usually requires equipment-intensive and time-consuming applications of hydraulic testing in situ. Conventional coring and geophysical logging techniques provide useful and reliable information on the distribution of bedding planes, fractures and solution openings along...
Authors
F.L. Paillet

An updated model of induced airflow in the unsaturated zone An updated model of induced airflow in the unsaturated zone

Simulation of induced movement of air in the unsaturated zone provides a method to determine permeability and to design vapor extraction remediation systems. A previously published solution to the airflow equation for the case in which the unsaturated zone is separated from the atmosphere by a layer of lower permeability (such as a clay layer) has been superseded. The new solution...
Authors
Arthur L. Baehr, Craig J. Joss

Deducing the distribution of terminal electron-accepting processes in hydrologically diverse groundwater systems Deducing the distribution of terminal electron-accepting processes in hydrologically diverse groundwater systems

The distribution of microbially mediated terminal electron-accepting processes (TEAPs( was investigated in four hydrologically diverse groundwater systems by considering patterns of electron acceptor (nitrate, sulfate) consumption, intermediate product (hydrogen (H2)) concentrations, and final product (ferrous iron, sulfide, and methane) production. In each hydrologic system a...
Authors
Francis H. Chapelle, Peter B. McMahon, Neil M. Dubrovsky, Roger F. Fujii, Edward T. Oaksford, Don A. Vroblesky

Modeling the effects of variable groundwater chemistry on adsorption of molybdate Modeling the effects of variable groundwater chemistry on adsorption of molybdate

Laboratory experiments were used to identify and quantify processes having a significant effect on molybdate (MoO42−) adsorption in a shallow alluvial aquifer on Cape Cod, assachusetts. Aqueous chemistry in the aquifer changes as a result of treated sewage effluent mixing with groundwater. Molybdate adsorption decreased as pH, ionic strength, and the concentration of competing anions...
Authors
Kenneth G. Stollenwerk

Sorption and coprecipitation of trace concentrations of thorium with various minerals under conditions simulating an acid uranium mill effluent environment Sorption and coprecipitation of trace concentrations of thorium with various minerals under conditions simulating an acid uranium mill effluent environment

Sorption of thorium by pre-existing crystals of anglesite (PbSO4), apatite (Ca5(PO4)3(HO)), barite (BaSO4), bentonite (Na0.7Al3.3Mg0.7Si8O20(OH)4), celestite (SrSO4), fluorite (CaF2), galena (PbS), gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O), hematite (Fe2O3), jarosite (KFe3(SO4)2(OH)6), kaolinite (Al2O3·2SiO2·2H2O), quartz (SiO2) and sodium feldspar (NaAlSi3O8) was studied under conditions that simulate an...
Authors
Edward R. Landa, Anh H. Le, Rudy L. Luck, Philip J. Yeich

Applications of the transient tracers tritium/helium-3, and chlorofluorocarbons for tracing and age-dating yound ground water: Field examples from the USA and Germany Applications of the transient tracers tritium/helium-3, and chlorofluorocarbons for tracing and age-dating yound ground water: Field examples from the USA and Germany

The transient tracers tritium/helium-3 (3H/3He) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113) are well suited for tracing and age-dating young ground water. Their detection in ground water indicates waters recharged within the past 30 (3H/3He, CFC-113) to 50 (CFC-11, CFC-12) years, or ground water mixtures that contain at least a portion of young water. The ground water age can be...
Authors
S. Drenkard, Niel Plummer, Eurybiades Busenberg, P. Schlosser, M. Stute, H. Dorr
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