Multiscale Model for Assessing the Effect of Bacterial Growth on Intrinsic Permeability of Soil: Column Experiment Simulation

A multiscale model was proposed in a companion paper for assessing the impact of bacterial growth attached to soil particles on the intrinsic permeability of soil. In this paper, this model is used to simulate a column experiment. The simulation conditions are described and the results of the simulation runs are presented. Various possible explanations for the observed reduction in permeability in the column experiment are analyzed using the model and it is concluded that the reduction in the metabolic activity of the attached biomass at the bottom of the column is mainly responsible for the reduction in the intrinsic permeability near the top of the column. Based on the set of parameter values used in the simulations, upper and lower bounds on the reduction in metabolic activity are estimated.