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<\/span><\/div>By Paul Alongi,<\/span><\/strong> Clemson University<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>Ron Falta\u2019s mathematical models are helping regulators and consultants figure out what it will take to remediate polluted groundwater.<\/h3><\/div>P<\/span>ouring a cool glass of clean drinking water is so common it\u2019s often taken for granted in the developed world, but it\u2019s possible only because of people like Clemson University\u2019s Ron Falta<\/strong>.<\/p>\nFalta has devoted a significant part of his three-decade career at Clemson to helping ensure groundwater stays pollution free. He has also contributed to the body of research into sequestering carbon dioxide to combat climate change.<\/p>\n
His peers are taking notice.<\/p>\n
Over the past year and a half, the professor of environmental engineering and Earth sciences has racked up three awards recognizing his accomplishments.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s satisfying, and I\u2019ve always enjoyed producing tools other people can use,\u201d Falta said. \u201cClean drinking water is critical. Now we\u2019re moving into other critical areas related to climate, and there are going to be new challenges in those areas for people to work on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Falta has made some of his biggest strides in helping treat groundwater contamination. His mathematical models predict where water will go and how different clean-up methods will work in the groundwater systems.<\/p>\n
Falta has developed two types of models. The more complicated type, multi-phase flow models, are used by national-laboratory research scientists and graduate students.<\/p>\n
A simplified version, REMchlor, is distributed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help regulators and environmental consultants figure out how long it would take to clean up sites using different cleaning activities. REMchlor stands for \u201cremediation, evaluation and modeling of chlorinated solvents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s easy to use, but it solves a problem that\u2019s pretty complicated,\u201d Falta said. \u201cThis was a much quicker way to get an answer that was 90% correct as opposed to spending way, way more time to get an answer that was only slightly better.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/i>Clean drinking water is critical. Now we\u2019re moving into other critical areas related to climate, and there are going to be new challenges in those areas for people to work on.<\/h2><\/div>Ron Falta, Professor \u2014 Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Falta has also researched greenhouse gas control, a topic that first interested him about 15 years ago.<\/p>\n
It is possible but expensive to capture carbon dioxide from flue-gas streams at coal-fired power plants, he said. The carbon dioxide would be compressed, sent down a pipeline to a suitable spot and injected into the ground.<\/p>\n
Falta\u2019s contribution has been to examine what would happen to the carbon dioxide underground under different conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea is it\u2019s a partial solution as we transition away from fossil fuels,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019d still be able to use some fossil fuels but capture the carbon dioxide emissions and store them geologically.\u201d<\/p>\n
David Freedman, chair of the Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, said that Falta is a highly accomplished and influential researcher in his field.<\/p>\n
\u201cRon has dedicated his career to studying contaminant transport and remediation,\u201d Freedman said. \u201cHe has made important contributions to understanding how pollutants behave in complex groundwater systems, many of which are used as drinking water sources. I offer him my deepest congratulations on his recent awards. Each is well deserved.\u201d<\/p>\n
The American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists awarded Falta the 2020 University Research Award. The National Ground Water Association honored him with the 2020 John Hem Award. Falta also received the Clemson University Research, Scholarship and Artistic Achievement Award.<\/p>\n<\/div>
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