Simulation of reactive processes related to biodegradation in aquifers: 1. Structure of the three-dimensional reactive transport model

The reactive transport model TBC (transport, biochemistry, and chemistry) numerically solves the equations for reactive transport in three-dimensional saturated groundwater flow. A finite element approximation and a standard Galerkin method are used. Solute transport is coupled to microbially mediated organic carbon degradation. Microbial growth is assumed to follow Monod-type kinetics. Substrate consumption and release of metabolic products is coupled to microbial growth via yield coefficients and stoichiometric relations. Additionally, the effects of microbial activity on selected inorganic chemical species in the aquifer can be considered. TBC allows the user to specify a wide range of possible biochemical and chemical reactions in the input file. This makes TBC a powerful and flexible simulation tool. It was developed to simulate reactive processes related to in situ bioremediation, but further fields of application are laboratory column studies on redox processes coupled to organic carbon degradation, field cases of intrinsic biodegradation, and early diagenetic processes in sediments.