A Sustainable Management-Oriented Model for Hydrodynamics and Pollutant Transport in Vegetated Seepage River Channels Using LBM-RDM

Weidong Xuan, Yu Bai () and Wenlong Tang
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Weidong Xuan: School of Hydraulic Engineering, Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Hangzhou 310018, China
Yu Bai: School of Hydraulic Engineering, Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Hangzhou 310018, China
Wenlong Tang: Zhejiang Environmental Protection Group, Hangzhou 310012, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 22, 1-17

Abstract: This study investigates the hydrodynamic characteristics and pollutant transport in vegetated seepage channels, with a particular focus on the impacts of seepage and vegetation density on flow velocity and pollutant dispersion. The primary innovation of this research lies in the novel integration of the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) and the Random Displacement Method (RDM) to establish a numerical model for simulating vertical flow velocity and pollutant transport in such channels. To enhance simulation accuracy, the sediment bed was treated as a porous medium. The findings reveal that higher seepage rates significantly increase pollutant infiltration, and denser vegetation further amplifies this effect by enhancing turbulent diffusion and mechanical dispersion within the vegetated zone. These insights are critical for sustainable groundwater protection and the design of vegetated buffer zones in river management. Furthermore, treating the sediment layer as a porous medium yielded more accurate flow velocity predictions. These results provide new insights into the complex interactions between seepage, vegetation, and pollutant transport, and offer a valuable theoretical basis for optimizing sustainable vegetation planting schemes and management practices in vegetated seepage rivers to protect groundwater quality.

Keywords: numerical model; pollution transport; seepage; hydrodynamics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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