It is expected that nanoparticles will end up in the environment; therefore, it is important to understand their mobility under different conditions. This study investigated the mobility of Al2O3 NPs in sand using column studies. Two different particle sizes were used ~200 nm and ~80 nm in solution. Mobility of Al2O3 NPs was observed to be the highest in DI water (77% and 99% of the influent for ~200nm and ~80nm particles respectively) and decreased with increasing ionic strength. Mobility of the nanoparticles increased with increasing flow rate, especially the larger particles. For ~80nm particles, increased and faster elution was observed when influent concentration was increased from 50 mg/L to 400 mg/L. The larger particles were less mobile likely due to straining whereas the smaller particle underwent blocking instead of straining. The use of two-site transport model to fit the results from the mobility experiments will also be discussed.

Transport of aluminum oxide nanoparticle in porous media: Effects of size, ionic strength, and flow rate

245th National Meeting (2013)

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