Reactive transport simulations of microbial activity and biogeochemical transformations in porous environments - development and application of a pore-network model

Abstract

The focus of this study was on the development and application of a model, describing the micro-scale, flexible enough to consider any arbitrary number of reactions, and able to simulate reactive transport of chemicals and microorganisms in the presence of pore-scale heterogeneities. This research aimed to unravel the relative importance of biogeochemical processes, external forces and microbial characteristics on the functioning of the porous systems as a whole, and to identify and evaluate the influence of these controlling parameters.