Integration of multi-scale modeling techniques to optimize bioremediation strategies for foam-contaminated soils and aquifers

The PhD project aims to improve the supply of oxygen and essential nutrients to the biopile by using foam instead of a liquid solution such as water. Water injection, especially from the top, is prone to hydrodynamic instabilities (gravitational fingering) and the porous medium’s physical heterogeneity. The PhD project aims to use foam, a gas dispersion in an aqueous surfactant solution, as a vector for nutrients and oxygen (when the bubbles burst). The high viscosity of foams makes them less susceptible to hydrodynamic instabilities and heterogeneity effects. Moreover, surfactants can desorb contaminants that are adsorbed to the solid phase, making them bioavailable for biodegradation.