(694e) Modeling Electrokinetic Remediation of Concrete by G/FEM

This paper reviews the process of electrokinetic remediation of a concrete disk to remove various contaminants, especially those found in the nuclear industry. A one dimensional model is developed and solved using the Galerkin/Finite element method (G/FEM) with adaptive time stepping.

This method is proven to be quick and reliable in calculating the time and spacial progression of the various species, the pH, and the electric potential variations throughout the system. An adaptive mesh focuses elements on regions of rapid change allowing fewer total elements to be used.

Results are presented for select initial and boundary conditions detailing parameters such as breakthrough times, solute loading removed, and power input required to perform the operations.