Dynamic Capillary Fringes - A Multidisciplinary Approach. SP 5: Refractory Organic Substances in Capillary Fringes: Dynamics, Gradients and Reactions (DyCap - ROS)
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| Project Group: | DFG - Research Unit | ||
| Funding: | DFG | ||
Period
Description
Dynamic Capillary Fringes – A Multidisciplinary Approach
SP 5:
Refractory Organic Substances in Capillary Fringes: Dynamics, Gradients and Reactions
(DyCap - ROS)
The capillary fringe is a highly active zone for chemical and biochemical transformation. Due to the broad abundance of synthetic organic micropollutants, their behaviour in the unsaturated and saturated zone and their biodegradability is of great importance for the understanding of degradation processes in the environment.
Their possible transformation and the integration of their metabolites into the bio-geogenic organic matrix (bound residues) is not well understood yet. It can be expected that the fringe zone with its high bioactivity will induce a high degradation and transformation rate of the substances. We hypothesize that this natural bioreactor will lead to biomass-derived macromolecular material in which spiked xenobiotics and their degradation products get integrated.
Within the first three years, the chemical and biochemical transformations of selected model compounds and emerging pollutants will be studied in model systems simulating changing interfaces in the fringe region. The dependence of the reactions and interactions on the specific conditions of the fringe zone and the changing gradients (e.g. redox potential, pH-value, water content) will be in the focus of the investigations.
From the quantitative results a comprehensive understanding and evaluation of the capillary fringes as zone for natural attenuation processes can be expected. In addition the fundamental role of oxygen (redox conditions) for the metabolic activity of the capillary fringe should be made obvious.
Project Partners
- University of Heidelberg, Institut für Umweltphysik, Prof. Dr. K. Roth
- University of Stuttgart, Institut für Parallele und Verteilte Systeme, Abteilung Simulation großer Systeme, Prof. Dr. P. Bastian, Dr. O. Ippisch
- University of Tübingen, Zentrum für angewandte Geowissenschaften, Prof. Dr. P. Grathwohl
- University of Karlsruhe, Institut für Ingenieurbiologie und Biotechnologie des Abwassers, Prof. Dr. J. Winter, PD. Dr. C. Gallert (Coordinators)
- University of Karlsruhe, Engler-Bunte-Institut, Lehrstuhl für Wasserchemie, Prof. Dr. F. H. Frimmel, Dr. G. Abbt-Braun
