Reactive Transport Modelling

This course will review the unifying concepts and mathematical models underlying the quantitative description of reactive transport systems. The focus will be on the coupling of biogeochemical reactions to transport processes in near-surface environments (ie., soils, sediments, tailings ponds, and shallow aquifer). Examples will range from simple "back of the envelope" mass balance calculations to advanced numerical simulations. Students will learn how to assemble the building blocks of a reactive transport model (RTM). Particular attention will be given to the formulation of biogeochemical reaction networks, the kinetics of abiotic and biotic redox processes, mixed kinetic-equilibrium models, parameter calibration, numerical errors and simulation scenarios. Some advanced topics, such as bioenergetics controls, genome-enabled RTMs and dual-porosity media will be covered as special topics.