Mass balance modeling of polychlorinated biphenyls in the Lower Duwamish Waterway
Name
958137022-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
9.92 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
00e0c9bf52bb0da2cc51d39877b9213d
Author(s)
Burke, Megan Elizabeth
Advisor(s)
Eric Adams.
Date Issued
2016
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Remediation is most effective when a site is properly characterized. The Lower Duwamish Waterway (LDW) in Seattle, Washington is contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). A zero dimensional mass balance of the 5 mile long waterway, which ends in Elliott Bay, helps to determine the different sources and concentrations of PCBs within the Lower Duwamish Waterway to aid future remedial activities. There are four unknown state variables: freshness, suspended sediment concentration, dissolved phase total PCB concentration, and sorbed phase total PCB concentration. The sole freshness source was the Green River and the freshness sink was the flushing at the downstream mouth. PCBs exist in sorbed and freely dissolved phases. Sorbed PCB sources include: the incoming Green River, laterals, and erosion. Sinks of sorbed PCBs include: deposition, flushing, and desorption. The Green River, laterals, diffusion, and desorption are all dissolved PCB sources, while the sinks are flushing and volatilization to the atmosphere. The calculated four state variables were compared to measured values and a sensitivity analysis was performed on the sources.
Description
Thesis: M. Eng., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2016.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 30-31).
Subjects
Civil and Environmental Engineering.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Terms of Use
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