In Situ Bioremediation of Phenol through Confined Aquifer Using Mesh-Free Point Collocation Method with Radial Basis Function

Industrial complexes with contaminated zones are polluted by organic biodegradable contaminants such as phenol. For such contamination, bioremediation using microbial cultures is economic and suitable. The bioremediation process involves the injection of microorganisms to enhance the degeneration of the contaminant to bring it within permissible limits. Due to the nonlinear, nonanalytical nature of groundwater, numerical methods are used for better clarity. Mesh-free methods, which do not need a grid or mesh, only nodes, can be very effective for such complex problems. In this study, a numerical model (PCM-MICROBE) was developed using the mesh-free point collocation method with radial basis function. A physical aquifer model (PAM) was also developed to understand phenol transportation and the phenomenon of in situ bioremediation. A tank, 1.5 x 0.5 m, was fabricated with sand as a porous medium. The results of the mesh-free PCM-MICROBE model were compared with observations in PAM. The comparative results were found to be within the error band of -9.54% to 17.19%. (c) 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.