The tool introduced by ARPAV in the LIFE PHOENIX project is the numerical modeling applied to groundwater and surface water, the only tool able to quantify, interpret and predict with the necessary scientific rigor the many aspects related to the spread of PFAS contamination.

After the calibration of the flow model that ended positively in March 2019, the calibration of the transport model is now nearing completion. The conclusion of this additional phase will provide a model capable of producing the first simulations of pollutant transport in groundwater with the development of specific predictive scenarios to support the project.

A mathematical model is a simplified scaled representation of reality in which the physical-chemical processes that guide the spread of pollutants in the real world are simulated for intrepretative and predictive purposes. Such a method is more generally applicable to environmental contamination events.

The figure 1 shows the structure of the finite element numerical model (FEM) in which we can recognize the surfaces that characterize the aquifer or the rocky substrate that contains it, and the various layers that characterize it.