The research group Fachstelle Sekundärrohstoffe is working on the save disposal of bottom ashes from waste incineration. Those ashes are heavily contaminated with different heavy metals and other substances. The quantinfication of long term release and the transport of heavy metals in already existing landfills is hindered by complex water transport in heterogeneous ashes and the incomplete understanding of chemical interactions of heavy metals with changing mineral constitutiens of the ashes.
Release and transport of these contaminants is often quantified with standardized column leaching tests. From these tests, normally only part of the collected data is used, i.e. measured concentrations in solution. You will improve the analysis of such tests with coupled transport and chemical models. In order to expand the understanding of underlying processes and test the validity of the model concepts, you can develop and run specifically designed collumn tests as validation experiments.
The student will become proficient in most advanced geochemical and reactive transport modelling methods, which can be complemented by practical lab work on collumn experiments.
Simulations and the model development will be conducted in collaboration with PD Georg Kosakowski & Romana Boiger (Paul Scherrer Institut) and will be based on the GEMs ecosystem of codes which are developed by the Laboratory for Waste Management at the Paul Scherrer Institut (www.psi.ch/les).
Advisors: PD Dr. Georg Kosakowski, Dr. Gisela Weibel, Prof. Sergey Churakov
University: BE