A new method for estimating pollutant concentration in unsaturated soil using digital image processing technique

Abstract

Abstract In recent decades, the vast potential of entry of solid waste and landfill leachate in soil and groundwater has caused pollutant emission, and concentration in-depth become an important issue. In order to clean or prevent soil contamination, the emission and concentration of the pollutant in soil should be specified. In this study, the digital image processing technique as a new method is used to determine the pollutant concentration in soil depth. In this regard, at first, several experimental tests are done. Then, the image processing technique and numerical simulation are utilized to determine the concentration of pollutants. Experimental test results validate the results of the finite element simulation. The results indicate a good agreement between the image processing method and numerical analyses in estimating concentration. Therefore, the image processing technique can be used as a simple, useful, and time-effective method for estimating concentration in unsaturated soil.