Work

A Sustainable Management-Oriented Model for Hydrodynamics and Pollutant Transport in Vegetated Seepage River Channels Using LBM-RDM

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study investigates the hydrodynamic characteristics and pollutant transport in vegetated seepage channels, with a particular focus on the impacts of seepage and vegetation density on flow velocity and pollutant dispersion. The primary innovation of this research lies in the novel integration of the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) and the Random Displacement Method (RDM) to establish a numerical model for simulating vertical flow velocity and pollutant transport in such channels. To enhance simulation accuracy, the sediment bed was treated as a porous medium. The findings reveal that higher seepage rates significantly increase pollutant infiltration, and denser vegetation further amplifies this effect by enhancing turbulent diffusion and mechanical dispersion within the vegetated zone. These insights are critical for sustainable groundwater protection and the design of vegetated buffer zones in river management. Furthermore, treating the sediment layer as a porous medium yielded more accurate flow velocity predictions. These results provide new insights into the complex interactions between seepage, vegetation, and pollutant transport, and offer a valuable theoretical basis for optimizing sustainable vegetation planting schemes and management practices in vegetated seepage rivers to protect groundwater quality.

Source: Sustainability

DOI: 10.3390/su172210138

Authors: Weidong Xuan, Yu Bai, Wenlong Tang

Institution: Zhejiang University of Water Resource and Electric Power

Language: English

Topic: Groundwater flow and contamination studies

Subfield: Environmental Engineering

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Clean water and sanitation

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896