Steady state and limiting current in electroremediation of soil

A simple theoretical analysis shows that a steady stale can be reached when electric fields are used to remove contaminants from soils. This condition is a special case of limiting currents, wherein the charge-carrying ions produced at the two electrodes react to eliminate each other within the soil medium. The theory is shown to be in good agreement with both experiments and numerical simulations. Since the steady state is generally undesirable in electrochemical remediation, measures that prevent the condition are discussed.