Contaminant Geochemistry

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiii

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2. Geochemistry Revisited: Selected Aspects

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Characterization of the Subsurface Environment

      Pages 3-26

   3. Selected Geochemical Processes

      Pages 27-48

3. Properties of Potential Contaminants: Environmental and Health Hazards

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 49-49

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   2. Inorganic and Organometallic Compounds

      Pages 51-70

   3. Organic Compounds

      Pages 71-90

4. Contaminant Partitioning in the Subsurface

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 91-91

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   2. Sorption, Retention, and Release of Contaminants

      Pages 93-126

   3. Contaminant Partitioning in the Aqueous Phase

      Pages 127-141

   4. Partitioning of Volatile Compounds

      Pages 143-150

   5. Selected Research Findings: Contaminant Partitioning

      Pages 151-210

5. Contaminant Transport from Land Surface to Groundwater

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 211-211

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   2. Water Flow in the Subsurface Environment

      Pages 213-218

   3. Transport of Passive Contaminants

      Pages 219-229

   4. Transport of Reactive Contaminants

      Pages 231-245

   5. Selected Research Findings: Contaminant Transport

      Pages 247-269

6. Transformations and Reactions of Contaminants in the Subsurface

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 271-272

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   2. Abiotic Contaminant Transformations in Subsurface Water

      Pages 273-293

   3. Abiotic Transformation at the Solid-Liquid Interface

      Pages 295-301

Contaminant Geochemistry: Interactions and Transport in the Subsurface Environment combines the earth science fields of subsurface hydrology and en- ronmental geochemistry and aims to provide a comprehensive background for s- dents and researchers interested in protection and sustainable management of the subsurface environment. This book focuses on the upper part of the earth’s crust, covering the region between the land surface and the groundwater zone; anthro- genic contamination occurs primarily in this well-defined geosystem. Water and land are limited natural resources, and it is incumbent on humankind to manage knowledge and technology in a way that avoids, or at least minimizes, deterioration of these resources. In this context, an understanding of the interactions between subsurface components (solid, liquid and gaseous phases) and chemical contaminants is required. Because the subsurface is an open system, contaminants may be transported, transformed, and redistributed in the subsurface under a variety of environmental influences. Contaminant interactions in the subsurface are subject to continuous changes, being affected by fluctuations in climatic conditions (p- ticularly precipitation) and microbiological activity. Additionally, these inter- tions are controlled by the structure and properties of the earth materials, the molecular properties of the contaminants, and the hydrogeology of each specific location. As a consequence, a multidisciplinary approach is fundamental to und- standing the governing processes.

• Contaminants
• Geochemistry
• Groundwater
• Subsurface
• environment
• hydrology
• soil
• terrestrial pollution
• ecotoxicology

From the reviews:

“Contaminant geochemistry is the collection of physical and chemical processes that determine the behavior of contaminants beneath Earth’s surface. … The book by Berkowitz and co-authors … focuses almost exclusively on the geochemistry of organic contaminants. It discusses both water-saturated and variably saturated systems. Its level is appropriate for scientists familiar with general aqueous geochemistry … and those interested particularly in the geochemistry of organic contaminants. The book is structured in a clear and coherent manner.” (Ian C. Bourg, Vadose Zone Journal, Vol. 9, 2010)

• Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100, Israel

  Brian Berkowitz, Ishai Dror, Bruno Yaron

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