From the Proceedings of the 1978 Meetings of the Arizona Section - American Water Resources Assn. and the Hydrology Section - Arizona Academy of Science - April 14-15, 1978, Flagstaff, Arizona / The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 's two-year 208 area-wide Water Quality Management Study for Pima County, Arizona, is discussed in terms of the specific problems of municipal wastewater effluent, industrial wastewater, urban stormwater runoff, land disposal of residual wastes, septic systems, and construction activities related to the City of Tucson urban area. The primary groundwater and the slow cycling of the hydrologic system in this arid urban environment reduce many water pollution problems to insignificant levels in the short term, (2) there does exist significant long-term pollution problems in the area. These problems include urban stormwater runoff and landfill leachate, and are related to the pollution of groundwater recharge and aquifer water supplies, and (3) there is a strong need for total water resource planning in arid urban areas which includes planning for wastewater reuse, water harvesting, and proper management of groundwater recharge systems.

The objective of this thesis is to evaluate the engineering properties of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) that are necessary in the design of landfills. The engineering properties of MSW such as compressibility, shear strength, stiffness and hydraulic conductivity are crucial in design and construction of landfills. The variation of the engineering properties with time, age and degradation are of paramount importance in the field of landfill engineering. There is a need to address the role of the engineering properties in landfill engineering as it is not apparent how the engineering characteristics vary with time. The thesis presents the results of study of the engineering properties of MSW comprehensively and develops experimental data for design of MSW landfills. The work includes the study of the index properties and the engineering properties of MSW such as compressibility, shear strength, shear modulus and damping ratio and a detailed experimental study of the bioreactor landfill. The components of settlements, variation of shear strength with respect to unit weight and particle size are determined experimentally and analyzed. The dynamic properties such as shear modulus and material damping ratio and its variation with parameters such as unit weight, load, amplitude, degradation and moisture content are studied and analyzed. The normalized shear modulus reduction curve which is used in the seismic analysis of the landfills is developed for MSW based on the experimental results and previous studies. A pilot-scale bioreactor was setup in the laboratory for long term monitoring of the settlement, temperature variation and gas production simultaneously. The parameters of interest viz, pH, BOD, COD, conductivity, alkalinity, methane and carbon-di-oxide were determined. The generated data can be effectively used in the engineered design of landfills. For a better understanding, the present thesis is divided into the following eight chapter Chapter 1 provides a general introduction to the thesis with respect to the importance of engineering properties of MSW and presents the organization of the thesis. Chapter 2 presents a detailed review of literature pertaining to the basic, index and the engineering properties of MSW namely compressibility, shear strength, shear modulus and damping ratio, bioreactor landfill and also the scope of the study. Chapter 3 includes the materials and methods followed in the thesis. Chapter 4 presents the evaluation of compressibility characteristics of MSW including the components of settlement and the settlement model parameters. Chapter 5 presents the determination of the shear strength properties of MSW using direct shear tests and triaxial tests. The variation of the strength with respect to unit weight and the particle size is examined. The results are examined in terms of strength ratio and stiffness ratio and the implications are discussed. Chapter 6 presents the study of the dynamic characters of MSW. The variation of the shear modulus and damping ratio with respect to unit weight, confining pressure, loading frequency, decomposition and moisture content are analyzed. Normalized shear modulus reduction and damping curves are proposed for seismic analysis. Chapter 7 presents the study of the conventional and the bioreactor landfill in a small scale laboratory setup. A large scale experimental setup is fabricated to study the characteristics of a bioreactor landfill and includes the long term monitoring and analysis of temperature, gas, settlement and leachate characteristics periodically. The results of the comprehensive study are presented in this chapter. Chapter 8 summarizes the important conclusions from the various experimental studies reported in this dissertation. Conclusions and the scope of future work are presented. A detailed list of references and the list of publications from the thesis are presented at the end. Appendix A presents the life cycle analysis and life cycle cost analysis of MSW land disposal options. The land disposal options such as open dumps, engineered landfills and bioreactor landfills are analyzed in this study.

Este trabalho avaliou a tratabilidade dos lixiviados do aterro sanitário de São Carlos-SP, utilizando-se reatores biológicos. O experimento foi conduzido à temperatura ambiente, em uma unidade piloto construída no aterro sanitário de São Carlos-SP. Inicialmente foram testados e comparados dois tipos de reatores anaeróbios, cada um com volume total de 1.200 L e ambos providos de agitação mecânica, diferenciando-se pelo tipo de imobilização da biomassa, sendo o primeiro com biomassa auto-imobilizada (ASBR) e o segundo com biomassa imobilizada em espuma de poliuretano (ASBBR). Um filtro biológico anaeróbio contínuo de fluxo ascendente de aproximadamente 120 L também foi avaliado. Além do pré-tratamento anaeróbio, foi avaliado também o pós-tratamento, que consistiu em um sistema de lodos ativados em batelada seqüencial de aproximadamente 180 L. O ASBR, inoculado com lodo granular de reator UASB, apresentou-se ineficiente, com problemas de desagregação e sedimentação da biomassa. O ASBBR, inoculado com lodo proveniente do fundo de uma lagoa de lixiviados, ao final de sua adaptação, apresentou eficiências superiores a 70%, em termos de remoção de DQO, utilizando-se lixiviado sem diluição, com DQO afluente da ordem de 11.000 mg/L, relação AVT/DQO aproximadamente igual a 0,6 e tempo de reação igual a 7 dias. Verificou-se que a biodegradabilidade anaeróbia dos lixiviados está diretamente relacionada à relação AVT/DQO, e que para relações AVT/DQO Total inferiores a 0,25, a biodegradabilidade é baixa, para relações entre 0,25 e 0,40 é média, e acima de 0,40 pode ser considerada elevada. Observou-se também que concentrações de N-amoniacal, da ordem de até 4.500 mg/L, não impedem o tratamento anaeróbio, desde que a biomassa esteja devidamente adaptada. Aos perfis temporais de concentração, realizados no ASBBR, foi ajustado um modelo de primeira ordem para consumo de substrato, na forma de DQO Total, obtendo valores de K1 variando entre 3,18 x \'10 POT.-5\' e 5,82 x \'10 POT.-5\' /(d.mgSTV/L). O pós-tratamento dos efluentes do ASBBR foi avaliado em um sistema de lodos ativados em batelada seqüencial, que obteve eficiência máxima da ordem de 30% em termos de remoção de DQO, com DQO afluente da ordem de 5.000 mg/L. Quanto ao filtro biológico anaeróbio de fluxo ascendente, obteve-se eficiências superiores a 70%, ao ser alimentado com uma mistura de lixiviado recalcitrante e etanol acidificado, com DQO afluente da ordem de 20.000 mg/L. / This work evaluated the tractability of landfill leachate from São Carlos-SP, utilizing biological reactors. The experiment was conducted at environmental temperature, in a pilot scale unity constructed into the São Carlos-SP landfill area. Initially, it was compared and tested two kinds of anaerobic reactors, each one with 1.200 L of total volume and both provided of mechanical agitation, differing by the kind of biomass immobilization, having the first (ASBR), self-immobilized biomass, and the second (ASBBR), immobilized biomass in polyurethane foam cubes. An approximately 120 L volume continuous up flow anaerobic biofilter was also evaluated. Additionally to the anaerobic treatment, it was also evaluated the post-treatment of landfill leachate in a sequence batch activated sludge system of 180 L. The ASBR, inoculated with a granular UASB sludge from a poultry wastewater treatment, was inefficient and presented sludge segregation and sedimentation problems. The ASBBR, inoculated using the sludge from the bottom of a landfill leachate reservoir, at the final of acclimation, presented efficiency over 70%, in terms of COD removal, utilizing landfill leachate without water dilution, with an inlet COD at the range of 11,000 mg/L, a TVA/COD ratio of approximately 0.6 and reaction time equal to 7 days. It was realized that the landfill leachate anaerobic biodegradability has a directly relationship to the TVA/COD ratio, and for TVA/COD Total ratio lower than 0.25, the biodegradability is low, for ratios between 0.25 and 0.40 is medium, and up to 0.40 may be considered high. It was also observed that \'NH IND.4\' POT.+\' concentrations at the range of 4,500 mg N/L has no significant interference in the anaerobic treatment, since the biomass has properly acclimated. At the temporal profiles of concentration performed in the ASBBR, it was adjusted a first order model for the substrate consumption, in terms of COD Total, obtaining K1 values ranging between 3.18 x \'10 POT.-5\' and 5.82 x \'10 POT.-5\' /(d.mgSTV/L). The post-treatment of the ASBBR effluents was evaluated in a sequence batch activated sludge system, which has obtained maximum efficiencies at the range of 30% in terms of COD removal, with an inlet COD at the range of 5,000 mg/L. As regards of the continuous up flow anaerobic biofilter, it has obtained efficiencies superiors to 70% when fed by a mixing of recovery landfill leachate and acidified ethanol, with an inlet COD at the range of 20,000 mg/L.

Denitrification is a microbially-catalyzed reaction which reduces nitrate to N2 through a series of intermediate nitrogen compounds. Nitrate is a nutrient and its release into the environment may lead to eutrophication, depending on the amount that is released and the state of the recipient. The release of nitrate from the mining industry in Kiruna (Sweden) has been identified as an eutrophication risk, and a denitrifying bioreactor is to be constructed at the site to reduce the nitrate release.Since the denitrification rate decreases with temperature and the temperature in Kiruna during large parts of the year drops below 0˚C, the denitrifying bioreactor therefore has to be designed for the site-specific environment in terms of flow rate and hydraulic residence time. Laboratory column studies are used to study and determine the nitrate removal rate in a low temperature environment (5˚C) with pine wood chips as reactive matrix/ electron donor; the input solution had an average concentration of 35 mg NO3-N/L and a high sulfate concentration. Nitrate removal was studied as a function of hydraulic residence time and temperature. Parameters that were monitored include pH, alkalinity and concentrations of ammonium, nitrite and sulfate in the effluent from the columns. On three occasions, samples were gathered along the flow path in the columns (concentration profiles) such that changes in nitrate, nitrite, and occasionally ammonium concentration could be studied in relation to each other. The study concluded that a denitrifying bioreactor utilizing pine wood chips as the reactive matrix is a suitable option for nitrate treatment in a low temperature (5˚C) environment. Under the conditions of the study, effluent nitrate, nitrite, and ammonium concentrations are below limits established in legislation. Nitrate removal rates are given for zero-order nitrate reduction and overall first-order nitrate reduction, as the concentration profiles revealed a decrease in nitrate removal rate as nitrate concentration dropped below 3 mg NO3-N/L. / Nitrat är ett näringsämne som kan orsaka övergödning vid utsläpp, beroende på halterna och recipienten. Växterna som tar upp kväve kommer så småningom att dö och sjunka mot botten där de förmultnar. Förmultningen kräver syre, och vid ökad växtlighet så ökar även konsumtionen av syre då det finns mer organiskt material att bryta ned. Detta leder i slutändan till syrefria områden, där djurliv och växtlighet är mer begränsade. Nitratutsläpp från gruvindustrin i Kiruna har blivit identifierad som en potentiell övergödningsrisk och en denitrifierande bioreaktor ska därmed installeras för att minska utsläppen. Denitrifikation är en mikrobiell reaktion som reducerar nitrat till kvävgas genom en serie av intermediära kväveföreningar. En denitrifierande bioreaktor använder sig utav denitrifikation för att minska nitratkoncentrationer i vatten som passerar genom bioreaktorn som består av huvudsakligen; (1) bakterierna som sköter denitrifikationen, och (2) en kolkälla som fungerar som ”mat” till de denitrifierande bakterierna, Hastigheten varvid nitrat omvandlas till kvävgas genom denitrifikation, minskar med temperatur och den denitrifierande bioreaktorn måste därmed anpassas till omgivningen där den ska placeras med avseende på uppehållstid i reaktorn. Uppehållstiden måste vara tillräcklig för att minska nitratkoncentrationen till önskad nivå, men samtidigt så får uppehållstiden inte vara för lång då andra ämnen kan reagera och bilda ofördelaktiga produkter vid låga nitratkoncentrationer. Kolonnstudier i en låg-tempererad miljö (5˚C) är ett första steg för att studera hastigheten av nitratförbrukning i en sådan omgivning, och används i detta arbete med träflis av tall som kolkälla. Parametrar som påverkar, och varierar som ett resultat av, denitrifikation (exempelvis pH och sekundära föroreningar) övervakas. Hastigheten av nitratförbrukning som fås från kolonnstudierna kan sedan används som riktlinjer för konstruktionen av en denitrifierande bioreaktor i fältskala i Kiruna. Studiens slutsats är att en denitrifierande bioreaktor med träflis av tall som reaktivt medium är ett fungerande alternativ för nitrat reducering i en lågtempererad miljö (5˚C) då nitrat effektivt reduceras till under gränsvärden fastslagna i lag. Även andra potentiella biprodukter (exempelvis nitrit och ammonium) som kan resultera från den miljö som den denitrifierande bioreaktorn ger upphov till är under de gränsvärden som finns fastslagna i lag.

Accélérer la dégradation anaérobie des déchets enfouis, optimiser la production de biogaz et diminuer le temps et le coût de surveillance sont les enjeux principaux d'installation de stockage des déchets non dangereux (ISDND)-bioactives, ainsi que, plus classiquement, minimiser leurs impacts sanitaires et environnementaux. L'une des méthodes les plus efficaces pour atteindre ces objectifs est la recirculation de lixiviat et l'augmentation de l'humidité des déchets. Les objectifs du bioréacteur ne seront pas atteints sans une connaissance rationnelle des phénomènes hydrauliques, biologiques et thermiques qui s’y développent et de l’influence de l'un de ces phénomènes sur les autres. Les observations in situ, les expérimentations en laboratoire ainsi que les modèles numériques permettent ensemble une approche rationnelle de ces phénomènes. C’est ce qui constitue le corps de ce travail de thèse, où nous avons étudié le comportement hydro-thermo-biologique des déchets dans la phase anaérobie en laboratoire, sur site à partir de données hydro-thermiques de deux bioréacteurs situés en France et en développant un modèle numérique pour simuler ce comportement couplé des bioréacteurs. Les travaux en laboratoire nous ont permis d’étudier l’effet de la saturation et de la densité (compactage des déchets) sur la dégradation anaérobie des déchets ménagers et l’influence de ces paramètres sur la production de biogaz. Les données hydrauliques et thermiques in-situ des bioréacteurs nous ont permis de connaître les variations des paramètres essentiels comme la température et la saturation dans les déchets, à différentes profondeurs, et estimer d’autres paramètres qui sont difficile à déterminer expérimentalement. Le modèle numérique nous a permis d’étudier le comportement couplé, hydro-thermo-biologique, des bioréacteurs à long terme (pendant une dizaine d’années) aussi bien qu’à court terme pendant la recirculation de lixiviat. L’interdépendance des différents paramètres qui influent la dégradation des déchets est la principale raison nous ayant conduits à développer un modèle de couplage qui nous permette d'étudier chaque paramètre en fonction des autres. Les travaux en laboratoire et les données thermiques de site nous ont conduits à développer un modèle d'écoulement diphasique du liquide et du gaz dans les déchets, considérant les phénomènes biologiques, en fonction des paramètres clés de la dégradation comme la température et la saturation, pour aboutir à la production de biogaz et de chaleur. Les trois parties de ce travail, les expérimentations en laboratoire, le développement d'un modèle numérique et l’analyse des données de site ont été effectuées en parallèle de façon complémentaire. Les expérimentation de laboratoire tout comme l’analyse des données de site, nous ont montré l'importance des paramètres qu'il faut considérer dans le modèle et en retour le modèle numérique nous a aidé à diriger les expérimentations en laboratoire et montré la nécessité de conduire certaines analyses sur les pilotes expérimentaux, comme l’analyse de la biomasse, de la DCO et des AGV. L'analyse des données hydrauliques et thermiques de sites de bioréacteur nous a permis de caler les paramètres hydrauliques, biologiques et thermiques des déchets qui sont difficile à définir sur le site sans le perturber (comme la conductivité hydraulique, la saturation, la conductivité thermique, la capacité calorifique, la concentration en biomasse et en AGV). Le travail réalisé dans la thèse a permis de développer un modèle couplé hydro-thermo-biologique et de tester sa capacité à prévoir le comportement thermique d'un bioréacteur, la production totale et le taux de production de méthane. Nous avons montré qu'il était adopté à l'étude du comportement à long terme d'un bioréacteur, aussi bien qu'à court terme pendant la réinjection de lixiviat, là où les techniques de mesure et le temps sont limitants en laboratoire ou sur site / The main objectives of bioreactor landfills are to accelerate anaerobic degradation of waste in order to minimize the environmental impacts, to optimize biogas production and to minimize the time of waste stabilization as well as the costs and time of monitoring of landfill sites after operation. One of the most important and cost-effective method to achieve these objectives is liquid addition and management. The objectives of bioreactor landfills could not be achieved without enough knowledge of its hydraulic, thermal and biological parameters and processes and the effects of each of them on the others. Site observations and data and laboratory experiments as well as numerical models could help to develop the knowledge of these phenomena and processes, which is the objective of this work. In this thesis we study the coupled hydro-thermo-biological behavior of bioreactor landfills in the anaerobic phase in the laboratory and using site data of two bioreactor landfills in France and developing a numerical coupled model. The laboratory experiments help us to know the effect of such important parameters as saturation and density of wastes on anaerobic degradation and biogas production. The site data help us to know the variations of saturation and temperature of wastes in a bioreactor landfill in different depths, as two key factors of anaerobic degradation and biogas production. Site analysis helps also to estimate some parameters as hydraulic and thermal conductivity of wastes, which are hard to measure in situ without disturbing the landfill site. The numerical model helps us to study the coupled behavior of bioreactor landfills during leachate recirculation, as well as on the long term during many years. The interdependence of various parameters which influence waste degradation and thermo-biological phenomena in a bioreactor landfills is the main reason of development of this coupled model. This model makes it possible to study each key parameter, as saturation and temperature, as a function of other parameters. Laboratory experiments and site data analysis lead to develop a biological model of degradation to be coupled with a two-phase flow model of liquid and gas. The three parts of this thesis, laboratory experiments, site data analysis and development of the numerical coupled model were carried out in parallel and in a complementary manner. Laboratory experiments as well as site data analysis showed us the importance of some parameters to be considered in the numerical model and coupled behavior. In return numerical model showed the importance of considering the temperature dependence behavior of microbial activity and the necessity of biomass, VFA and COD analysis in laboratory experiments. The analysis of hydraulic and thermal site data led to estimate parameters which are hard to measure in situ or in the laboratory, as hydraulic and thermal conductivity of waste, saturation, thermal conductivity of cover layer and heat capacity of waste. The numerical coupled hydro-thermo-biological model seems to be efficient enough to predict biogas and methane production in bioreactor and classical landfills and to reproduce their correct behavior

Soil carbon is the largest sink and source of the global carbon cycle and is disturbed by several natural, anthropogenic, and environmental factors. The global increase of atmospheric CO2 affects soil carbon cycling through varied biogeochemical processes. The first chapter is a compilation of current information on potential factors triggering soil acidification and weathering mechanisms under elevated CO2 and their consequences on soil inorganic carbon (SIC) pool and quality. Soil water content and precipitation were critical factors influencing elevated CO2 effects on the SIC pool. The second chapter examines a detailed column experiment in which six soils from the state of Mississippi, USA, representing acidic, neutral, and alkaline pH, were exposed to different CO2 enrichments (100%, 10%, and 1%) for 30 days. The leachates’ pH tended to attain an equilibrium state (neutral) with time under CO2 saturation. SIC increased under CO2 saturation, whereas cation exchange capacity (CEC) showed a decreasing pattern in all soils. In the third chapter, an eXplainable artificial intelligence (XAI) was performed to visualize the different forms of soil carbon variability across the Mississippi River Basin area. This model explains key insights and local discrepancies, suggesting a solution to the “Black-Box” issue. The best performing model, stack ensemble, showed improved RMSE (3 to 8%) and spatial variability for soil carbons than other ML models, especially after adding the residuals from regression analyses. Land cover type > soil pH > total nitrogen, > NDVI were identified as the top four crucial factors for predicting SOC when bulk density > precipitation, soil pH > mean annual temperature described SIC. The proposed automatic machine learning (AutoML) model with model agnostic interpolations might be a hallmark to mitigate the C loss under adverse climate change conditions and allow diverse knowledge groups to adopt a new interpretable ML algorithm more confidently. Findings from this study help predict the impact of elevated atmospheric CO2 on soil pH, acidification, and nutrient availability and develop strategies for sustainable land management practices under a changing climate.

Die Bodenzone, in der Literatur vielfach auch Wurzelzone, Aerationszone oder ungesättigte Zone genannt, ist geprägt durch variabel-wassergesättigte Verhältnisse und nimmt in vielen Disziplinen eine wichtige Rolle ein. Aus Sicht des Schutzguts Grundwasser stellt sie eine Schutz- und Pufferzone vor oberirdischen Umwelteinflüssen dar, in der eindringende oder eingebrachte Schadstoffe durch die dort ablaufenden Transport-, Abbau- und Sorptionsprozesse retardiert, teilweise bis vollständig abgebaut oder in andere Stoffe umgesetzt werden können, und somit eine Verunreinigung des Grundwassers verhindern kann. Um potenzielle Gefährdungen des Grundwassers anhand einer Altlast oder eines Schadensfalls abschätzen zu können, ist in Deutschland eine Sickerwasserprognose nach dem Bundesbodenschutzgesetz und der Bundesbodenschutzverordnung vorgeschrieben. Hierbei übernimmt die ungesättigte Zone die Funktion des Quell- und Transportterms für den Schadstoff. Der Quellterm dient der Beschreibung des zeitlichen Austragsverhaltens von Schadstoffen aus der Schadstoffquelle mit dem Sickerwasser, der Transportterm beschreibt den Wirkungspfad im Boden von der Geländeoberkante bis zur Grundwasseroberfläche. Die Anforderungen und Aufgaben des vom BMBF geförderten Forschungsvorhabens „Prognose des Schadstoffeintrags in das Grundwasser mit dem Sickerwasser“ (SiWaP) motivierten die Entwicklung des Programms PCSiWaPro. Innerhalb des Vorhabens sollte die Möglichkeit geschaffen werden, mit geringem Aufwand eine modellgestützte Sickerwasserprognose unter Berücksichtigung der Forschungsergebnisse aus SiWaP durchführen zu können. Kommerziell verfügbare Software blieb dabei außen vor, da die Implementierung eigener Prozesse, Datenbanken und Parameter damit nicht möglich ist. Gleichzeitig war eine komplexe Betrachtung der ablaufenden Prozesse erforderlich sowie die Dokumentation der Ein- und Ausgabedaten für eine entsprechende Nachweispflicht. Dies führte zur Entwicklung einer grafischen Benutzeroberfläche (GUI) mit einem Assistenten, der den Anwender in 5 sequenziell ablaufenden Schritten zu einem physikalisch begründeten Ergebnis führt (Protokoll). Alle notwendigen Eingaben werden dazu mit sinnvollen Werten vorbelegt und bei Änderung durch den Nutzer auf Plausibilität geprüft. Gleichzeitig sollte die Funktionalität nicht auf die Möglichkeiten des Assistenten beschränkt bleiben und dem erfahrenen Modellierer alle Optionen der numerischen Simulation bereitstellen. Die Dokumentation der Ein- und Ausgabedaten wird dabei durch die Verwendung von Datenbanken sichergestellt. Für den Einsatz in Ingenieurbüros, Behörden oder auch international war die GUI mehrsprachig zu implementieren. Diese Anforderungen begründeten die Entwicklung eines Simulationssystems, um den Wasserhaushalt und Stofftransport in ungesättigten Böden auch unter komplexen Bedingungen berechnen zu können. Das aus dem zuvor genannten BMBF-Verbundvorhaben SiWaP entstandene Programm PCSiWaPro war wesentlicher Bestandteil nachfolgender Forschungsvorhaben, deren Ergebnisse in die weitere Entwicklung des Programms einflossen und dessen Anwendungsgebiete außerhalb der Sickerwasserprognose erweiterten. So sind erforderliche Eingangsdaten wie bodenhydraulische und Stofftransportparameter oft mit Unsicherheiten behaftet oder können nur in Wertebereichen gefasst werden. Um derartige Unschärfen auch in den Berechnungsergebnissen von numerischen Simulationen ausweisen zu können, wurde die Fuzzy-Set-Theorie verwendet, die eine Zuordnung der Unsicherheiten über sogenannte α-Schnitte ermöglicht. Für jeden unscharfen Parameter kann dessen Schwankungsbreite definiert und in der Simulation berücksichtigt werden. Die Ausweisung der Unschärfen im Ergebnis erfolgt unter Angabe des sich ergebenden Minimums und Maximums der berechneten Größe (Druckhöhe, Konzentration). Anhand verschiedener Beispielanwendungen werden die in der Arbeit vorgestellten Problemstellungen durch Einsatz von PCSiWaPro behandelt. Die Arbeit gibt ebenso einen Ausblick auf weiterführenden Forschungs- und Entwicklungsbedarf, der sich aus den in der Arbeit erzielten Ergebnissen und Betrachtungen ableiten lässt.:Abbildungsverzeichnis Tabellenverzeichnis Abkürzungsverzeichnis Symbolverzeichnis 1 Einleitung 2 Wasserhaushaltsberechnung in variabel gesättigten porösen Medien 2.1 Zugrundeliegende Gleichung 2.2 Numerische Lösung 3 Transport- und Umsetzungsprozesse 3.1 Erhaltungsgleichung 3.2 Transportprozesse 3.3 Umsetzungsprozesse 3.4 Basisgleichung für den Stofftransport in PCSiWaPro 3.5 Numerische Lösung 4 Entwicklung des Programms PCSiWaPro 4.1 Softwarearchitektur 4.2 Datenbankkonzept 4.3 Benutzeroberfläche für das Preprocessing 4.4 Ergebnisvisualisierung und Postprocessing 4.5 Parallelisierung des Rechenkernels 4.6 Dual-Porosität nach DURNER 4.7 Strömungsrandbedingung als zeitvariable Polygonfunktion 4.8 Berücksichtigung von Unsicherheiten in den Eingangsdaten 5 Anwendungsbeispiele 5.1 Deichdurchströmung 5.2 Modellgestützte Sickerwasserprognose mit unscharfen Eingangsdaten 5.3 Test der Parallelisierung am synthetischen Beispiel 5.4 Zusammenfassung Anwendungsbeispiele 6 Zusammenfassung und Ausblick 7 Literaturverzeichnis 8 Anhang / The soil zone, often referred to as root zone, aeration zone or unsaturated zone in the literature, is characterized by variably saturated conditions and is of particular importance in many disciplines. From the groundwater point of view, it is a zone for protection and buffering of environmental processes at the surface. Penetrating hazardous substances can be retarded or even completely decayed due to the transport, degradation and sorption processes which occur and thus, can prevent a contamination of the groundwater. In order to estimate potential threats to the groundwater based on a contaminated site or a damage, a leachate forecast is required in Germany according to the Federal Soil Protection Act (BBodSchG) and the Federal Soil Protection Ordinance (BBodSchV). The unsaturated zone takes on the function of the source and transport term for the pollutant. The source term function is used to describe the temporal discharge behavior of pollutants from the contaminant source with the leachate, the transport term describes the action path in the soil from the top of the site to the groundwater surface. The requirements and tasks of the BMBF-funded research project 'Prognosis of Pollutant Infiltration into Groundwater with Leachate' (“Prognose des Schadstoffeintrags in das Grundwasser mit dem Sickerwasser”) (SiWaP) motivated the development of the PCSiWaPro program. Within the project, the possibility should be created to be able to carry out a model-based leachate forecast with little effort, taking into account the research results from the SiWaP project. Commercially available software had to be left out, since the implementation of new processes, databases and parameters is not possible. At the same time, a total consideration of the complex processes taking place was necessary, as was the documentation of the input and output data to provide evidence. This led to the development of a graphical user interface (GUI) with an assistant that leads the user in 5 sequential steps to a physically based result including a protocol. All necessary input data are pre-assigned with useful values and checked for plausibility when changed by the user. At the same time, the functionality should not be limited to the possibilities of the assistant and the GUI must provide all available options of a numerical simulation to advanced users. The documentation of the input and output data is ensured by using databases. The GUI provides multiple languages for use in engineering offices, authorities or international projects. These requirements justified the development of a simulation system to be able to calculate the water balance and solute transport in unsaturated soils even under complex conditions. The PCSiWaPro program, emerged from the BMBF joint project SiWaP mentioned above, was an integral part of subsequent research projects, the results of which were incorporated into the further development of the program and expanded its fields of application outside of the leachate forecast. Required input data such as soil hydraulic and solute transport parameters are often subject to uncertainties or can only be captured in value ranges. In order to show such blurring in the calculation results of numerical simulations, the fuzzy set theory was used, which enables the uncertainties to be assigned using so-called α-cuts. The fluctuation range for each uncertain parameter can be defined individually and considered in the simulation. The blurring in the result is indicated by specifying the resulting minimum and maximum of the calculated quantity (pressure level, concentration). Using various sample applications, the problems presented in the thesis are dealt with by using PCSiWaPro. The thesis also gives an outlook on further research and development perspectives, which are derived from the results achieved in this thesis and the demands from the daily practice.:Abbildungsverzeichnis Tabellenverzeichnis Abkürzungsverzeichnis Symbolverzeichnis 1 Einleitung 2 Wasserhaushaltsberechnung in variabel gesättigten porösen Medien 2.1 Zugrundeliegende Gleichung 2.2 Numerische Lösung 3 Transport- und Umsetzungsprozesse 3.1 Erhaltungsgleichung 3.2 Transportprozesse 3.3 Umsetzungsprozesse 3.4 Basisgleichung für den Stofftransport in PCSiWaPro 3.5 Numerische Lösung 4 Entwicklung des Programms PCSiWaPro 4.1 Softwarearchitektur 4.2 Datenbankkonzept 4.3 Benutzeroberfläche für das Preprocessing 4.4 Ergebnisvisualisierung und Postprocessing 4.5 Parallelisierung des Rechenkernels 4.6 Dual-Porosität nach DURNER 4.7 Strömungsrandbedingung als zeitvariable Polygonfunktion 4.8 Berücksichtigung von Unsicherheiten in den Eingangsdaten 5 Anwendungsbeispiele 5.1 Deichdurchströmung 5.2 Modellgestützte Sickerwasserprognose mit unscharfen Eingangsdaten 5.3 Test der Parallelisierung am synthetischen Beispiel 5.4 Zusammenfassung Anwendungsbeispiele 6 Zusammenfassung und Ausblick 7 Literaturverzeichnis 8 Anhang