ELECTROCORE ELECTROKINETIC CORE SAMPLING AND MONITORING

IT HAS BEEN FOUND THAT TRACE METALS THAT PREVIOUSLY WERE NOT DETECTED AS PRESENT IN SOIL SAMPLES CAN BE CONCENTRATED AT DETECTABLE LEVELS. THIS PROJECT WILL TAILOR CURRENT ELECTROKINETIC TECHNOLOGY TO DESIGN AN INNOVATIVE SOIL SAMPLING AND MONITORING METHOD INVOLVING AN IN-SITU SORBING OF TRACE CONTAMINANTS FROM THE SOIL BY CONCENTRATING THEM INTO A SOLID MATRIX UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF AN APPLIED POTENTIAL OVER A LIMITED TIME INTERVAL. TWO DESIGN CONCEPTS ARE PLANNED FOR BOTH FABRICATION AND EXPERIMENTATION FOR THE ELECTROKINETIC SOIL SAMPLING AND MONITORING APPARATUS. ONE DESIGN COMPRISES FABRICATING BOTH ANODE AND CATHODE INTO A 1 TO 1.5 INCH POLYMERIC CYLINDER WHICH IS CAPABLE OF CONCENTRATING BOTH ANIONS AND CATIONS INTO AN EASILY ANALYZABLE MATRIX. THE OTHER DESIGN HAS AN INDEPENDENT ANODE AND CATHODE AND IS CAPABLE OF NOT ONLY CONCENTRATING THE CONTAMINANTS BUT ALSO OF IN-SITU DETERMINATION OF THE TARGET SPECIES. BOTH DESIGNS ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF BEING USED FOR ESTIMATING ION MOBILITY AND SOIL RETENTION TIMES.