Electro-kinetic remediation technology is one of the developing technologies that offer great promise for the cleanup of soils contaminated with heavy metals. A numerical model was formulated to simulate copper (Cu) transport under an electric field using one-dimensional diffusion-advection equations describing the contaminant transport driven by chemical and electrical gradients in soil during the electro-kinetic remediation as a function of time and space. This model included complex physicochemical factors affecting the transport phenomena, such as soil pH value, aqueous phase reaction, adsorption, and precipitation. One-dimensional finitedifference computer program successfully predicted meaningful values for soil pH profiles and Cu concentration profiles. The model considers that: (1) electrical potential in the soil is constant with the time; (2) the effect of temperature is negligible; and (3) dissolution of soil constituents is negligible. The predicted pH profiles and transport of copper in sandy loam soil during electrokinetic remediation were found to reasonably agree with the bench-scale electro-kinetic
experimental results. The predicted contaminant speciation and distribution (aqueous, adsorbed, and precipitated) allow for an understanding of the transport processes and chemical reactions that control electro-kinetic remediation.
