Modelling Flow and Fate of Contaminants in Groundwater Using a Version of the Five Steady- State Pollutant Transport Models

Abstract

It is essential to understand pollutant flow and fate in the permeation zones for adequate groundwater quality protection. This review highlights the hydraulic controls on pollutant filtration into the groundwater. The study is divided into seven sections, viz: Numerical modelling of contaminants in aquifers; Modeling tool for pollutant flow, fate, and theorisation; Theoretical approaches to groundwater modelling; Model input variables; and Modeling the vertical flow of contaminants from surface water to aquifers; Recent advances; and Challenges of groundwater pollution modelling. The latter illustrates how contaminants flow are simulated in a saturated aquitard aquifer. Model Type 2 is applied to simulate contaminant flow in a fully splintered formation. Model Type 3 showed the vertical flow of contaminants within an unsaturated zone. The vertical flow of pollutants within an unsaturated region without a recharge is simulated using Model Type 4. Model Type 5 is applied to study gas-phase flow from a point situated within the un-inundated area beneath a confined zone, to the uppermost layer of the superimposed groundwater reservoir and then flow horizontally into the aquifer. Application of these models shows that an initial measurement with traditional, and repeatedly selecting none-site-specific factor. The models are qualitatively harmonious in conjunction with general trends in interpretations and offer a convenient approximation of pollution. However, the execution of these models is limited by a lack of adequate field data. Thus, the model output must be examined within the model uncertainty framework, data input limitations, and methodologically established standards from the literature.