Lagrangian models of reactive transport in heterogeneous porous media with uncertain properties

Advection, molecular diffusion, hydrodynamic dispersion and (bio)chemical transformations are some of the key mechanisms that affect fate and transport of solutes in fluids flowing through porous media. Predictions of each of these phenomena, and of their combined effects are plagued with uncertainty. We focus on the impact of parametric uncertainty (uncertainty about parameter values characterizing macroscopic hydraulic and chemical properties of a porous medium); while equally important, quantification of uncertainty associated with the validity of macroscopic flow (Darcy’s law) and transport (advection–dispersion models) equations lies outside the scope of the present analysis. To be specific, we ground the subsequent discussion in applications to transport in natural geological materials. Yet, the conceptual approaches and computational challenges addressed in the present study are equally applicable to manufactured and biological porous media.