Estimating bacterial breakthrough behaviors based on bacterial retention profiles in porous media

Abstract

Traditional methods for assessing bacterial transport in soil or permeable sand aquifers, such as flow‐through experiments, breakthrough curve (BTC), and retention profile (RP) analysis, face challenges due to their complexity and the labor‐intensive nature of in situ implementations. This study seeks to address the question: How can the transport behavior of bacteria in soil be predicted in a simpler and more cost‐effective manner using RPs? We introduce an RP method designed to overcome these challenges by utilizing soil sampling at various depths to model bacterial breakthrough behaviors with greater efficiency. By employing the one‐site attachment/detachment model within the Hydrus 1D framework, our research compares the RP method (three RPs) against the conventional approach (BTC + RP), showcasing its efficacy through column experiments with bioluminescent Escherichia coli in humic acid‐coated sand. The results indicate that the accuracy of RP method aligns closely with traditional methods in predicting bacterial transport. This technique allows for the use of solid samples collected from a limited number of depths to predict breakthrough behaviors accurately, making it suitable for evaluating bacterial transport in settings such as farmlands, contaminated lands, riverbanks, and soil aquifer treatment systems. Our findings underscore the RP method's role in streamlining experimental procedures and its potential application in environmental science and agronomy.