Colloidal transport in porous media: Pore-scale interplay of advection, deposition, and erosion

There is significant interest in applying colloids to remediate contaminated soils or aquifers. However, the transport of such colloids to porous subsurface regions is complex due to the interplay of particle adsorption, surface erosion, and pore-space advection. Here, we use a transparent model porous medium to directly image in 3D the interplay between adsorption and erosion events at the pore scale. Analysis of these processes allows us to determine the net particle deposition rate and further to predict the macroscopic net particle deposition profile. These findings show how the pore-scale dynamics can be controlled for macroscopic aims in remediation practices.