FOR 831:  Dynamic Capillary Fringes - A Multidisciplinary Approach

• Subject Area: Geosciences
• Term: from 2007 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 31352921

Capillary fringes are highly dynamic zones at the interface between water-saturated aquifer and vadose zone, where steep biogeochemical gradients and thus high bioactivities are expected. Since the accessibility of this dynamic region in the field is very limited, well controlled bench and larger scale laboratory experiments to elucidate physical (flow, diffusion, dispersion), geochemical (dissolution/precipitation) and biological (metabolism, excretion, biofilm formation) processes in the capillary fringe and their interaction under transient conditions are planned. The focus will be on the reactive transport of organic and inorganic pollutants and on the influence of suspended groundwater bacteria, biofilms and metabolic products on mass transfer and turnover processes. Emphasis is directed on innovative high resolution (time and space) sensors and on spectroscopic tools for quantification of concentration gradients.
In parallel to the experimental work the development and the implementation of a flexible simulator for coupled multiphase flow and reactive transport are pursued. The numerical model should be flexible enough to accommodate the experimental setups and relevant processes investigated experimentally in the different projects. State-of-the-art numerical methods and high-performance parallel computing will be used to obtain accurate solutions.

• DFG Programme: Research Units

Projects

• Dynamic Capillary Fringe: Flow and Transport Processes (Applicant Roth, Kurt )
• Dynamic capillary fringes - a multidisciplinary approach (Applicant Geistlinger, Helmut )
• Dynamic capillary fringes - Central experiment and scientific communication (Applicant Winter, Josef U. )
• Microorganisms in the capillary fringe, rapidly changing environment (Applicant Gallert, Claudia )
• Numerical methods for the accurate and efficient simulation of multiphase multicomponent reactive flow in the capillary fringe (Applicant Bastian, Peter )
• Reactive transport in the dynamic capillary fringe (Applicant Grathwohl, Peter )
• Refractory Organic Substances in Capillary Fringes: Dynamics, Gradients and Reactions (Applicant Frimmel, Fritz )

• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Josef U. Winter