Dense, non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) such as chlorinated solvents, creosote, coal tar, and PCB oils are commonly encountered groundwater and soil contaminants throughout North America and other industrialized areas of the world.

Upon release at ground surface, these liquids come to rest as both disconnected blobs and ganglia of organic liquid referred to as residual, and in potentially mobile configurations referred to as pools. Flowing groundwater will dissolve residual and pooled DNAPL, giving rise to aqueous phase plumes that can persist for decades to centuries.

The DNAPL research group at Queen's examines DNAPL migration in both unconsolidated deposits such as sands and gravels, as well as in fractured rock and clay. Specific research interests include the use of waterflooding and alcohol flooding as remediation approaches in both fractured and porous media, numerical simulation of DNAPL migration and associated plume evolution in fractured and porous media, as well as laboratory-scale evaluation of a variety of remediation technologies.

The DNAPL research group conducts both theoretical and applied research. Recent applied research projects have included the design of a waterflooding system for application at an industrial site, the evaluation of remediation alternatives at a PCB-impacted fractured rock site, the evaluation of alcohol flooding for source zone stabilization in fractured rock, and the evaluation of monitored natural attenuation at a chlorinated solvent fractured rock site. Graduate students are part of a highly motivated team and are sought after by industry upon graduation.