Research

Hydrogeology and solid waste management. Flow and transport in the saturated and unsaturated zone; multiphase flow; movement and fate of non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) like gasoline and industrial solvents that have spills or leaked into the subsurface at contaminated sites. Remediation of NAPL-impacted sites. Waste Management issues including waste-to-energy alternatives, specifically anaerobic digestion and landfill gas to energy, and life cycle assessment of different waste management strategies.

Application

Fate and transport applications vary from gasoline spills to biological clogging of biofilters to natural attenuation and redox-dependent biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons and solvents; understanding the impacts of real world soil/NAPL wettability on migration, distribution and remediation of NAPL-contaminated sites. Waste management applications vary from the optimization of bioreactor landfills operating in northern climates to maximize utilization of landfill airspace and the production of landfill gas to produce energy to a life cycle assessment to evaluate the impacts of organics diversion on cost, energy utilization and greenhouse gas emissions.

Activities

Involved in establishing a waste and residuals to energy (WR2E) network to link industry and researchers to address the opportunities and challenges in the WR2E sector (www.wr2e.org).

Journal Articles

Mostafa, M., and P.J. Van Geel (2011) Validation of a Relative Permeability Model for Biological Clogging in Unsaturated Soils, Vadose Zone Journal, in press.

Lange, K., and P.J. Van Geel (2011) Physical and numerical modeling of a dual porosity fractured rock surrounding an in-pit uranium tailings management facility, Canadian Geotechnical Journal, Vol. 48, pages 365-374.

Soleimani, S., P.J. Van Geel, O.B. Isgor, and M.B. Mostafa (2009) Modeling of biological clogging in unsaturated porous media, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, Vol. 106, Nos. 1-2, pages 39-50.

Alkaabi, S., P.J. Van Geel, and M.A. Warith (2009) Effect of saline water and sludge addition on biodegradation of MSW in bioreactor landfills, Waste Management and Research, Vol. 27, No. 1, pages 59-69.

Catley, A., C. Samson, and P.J. Van Geel (2008), Seismic Velocity Analysis to Determine Moisture Distribution in a BioReactor Landfill, Journal of Solid Waste Technology and Management, Vol. 34, No.2, pages 81-90.