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Publication Date

8-2014

Date of Final Oral Examination (Defense)

6-30-2014

Type of Culminating Activity

Thesis - Boise State University Access Only

Degree Title

Master of Science in Civil Engineering

Department

Civil Engineering

Major Advisor

Arvin Farid, Ph.D., P.E.

Abstract

Soil contamination with hazardous substances can be in solid or liquid forms. Contaminants in soil can be physically or chemically adsorbed to soil grains or only trapped in pore space. Soil contamination usually occurs through spillage or burial directly at the contaminated area or migration from a spillage or burial source occurred elsewhere. Some of most occurring sources of soil pollution are petrochemical and chemical contamination. Several researchers’ investigations have shown that not only does hydrocarbon contamination affect the quality of soil, but it can also alter the physical properties of the contaminated soil, leading to the degradation of the strength of the soil and soil failure. This study investigates the use of electromagnetic (EM) waves with various radiation patterns to induce a controlled transportation of a nonhazardous dye (used as contamination simulant). The preliminary medium in this study is water, which helps monitor dye transportation under EM stimulated conditions, and then the medium is replaced with a saturated glass-bead medium simulating granular soils. EM waves were launched into the medium at frequencies designated 57.25 MHz in aqueous medium and 103.9 MHz in saturated porous medium, which both were launched in 30W­ to minimize the heat generation and temperature increase, yet induce a dye transport according to the EM radiation pattern. The results of this study suggest that dielectrophoresis can be the underlying mechanism of observed EM-induced dye flow in both aqueous and saturated porous media. This is consistent with numerical results as well. These results also show the effect of EM waves on the adsorption of the dye into the glass-bead matrix in the saturated porous medium.

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