Numerical modeling of virus transport through unsaturated porous media

Abstract This paper describes the movement of virus in one-dimensional unsaturated porous media. The governing virus transport equations consider the inactivation in liquid phase, liquid–solid interface, air–liquid interface, and sorption in both liquid–solid and air–liquid interfaces. Finite-volume method has been used for solving the advection and dispersion processes of the virus transport equation. The effects of transport parameters on virus concentration profiles have been investigated for virus present in liquid phase, adsorbed liquid–solid and liquid–air phases. The results show that the movement of viruses in three phases is affected by soil moisture, inactivation rate, pore velocity, and mass transfer coefficients. It is found that the magnitude of virus sorption is higher at the air–liquid interface as compared to the liquid–solid interface. A higher value of mass transfer coefficient leads to an increase in the virus concentration in both liquid–solid and air–liquid interfaces.