Analytical model for electrokinetic remediation of contaminated soil

Abstract Electrokinetic remediation (EKR) is an effective approach to eliminate heavy metal contaminants from soil and pore water. However, only a few studies have been conducted on related analytical theory because of the complexity of transport processes and the lack of effective calculation methods. In this study, a novel analytical model is proposed to investigate the one-dimensional transport of heavy metal ions (HMIs), encompassing electro-osmosis, electro-migration, hydraulic osmosis, diffusion, adsorption, and thermal diffusion. A comprehensive analysis is conducted to study the effects of key parameters on the transport process. Several important insights are gained, e.g., an increase in the Soret coefficient accelerates the migration of HMIs. Meanwhile, an increase in both the electric potential gradient and the hydraulic gradient is beneficial for the remediation of contaminated soil, although the effect of the electric potential gradient is more significant.