KWB: Development of a generic riverbank filtration model for PFAS and PMT substances

Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin (KWB) developed a generic model for simulating the attenuation of PFAS and persistent, mobile and potentially toxic compounds (PMT) during riverbank filtration (RBF). The model is designed to represent the attenuation of chemicals traveling from rivers to drinking water wells.

The versability and simplicity of KWB’s model enables scenario exploration and parameterization, aiding in the management of RBF without needing to implement complicated, labor-intensive models. The model considers several parameters including travel distance, velocity, porosity, 1st-order degradation by chemical substance, and sorption according to the organic carbon-mediated sorption coefficient of a substance.

At the International Riverbank Filtration Conference held at HTW Dresden from October 16 to 18, KWB highlighted the model’s development with a poster presentation, presenting results with literature data.

Furthermore, KWB developed alternative methods to present simulated attenuation of PMT and non-PMT substances, including line plots by substance parameter and a heatmap of resulting concentrations for chemicals over a range of half-lives and sorption coefficients.

Conference Attendees. @Cornelius Sandhu from HTW Dresden