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Estimation of longevity and minimum thickness of permeable reactive barrier (PRB) for remediation of heavy metals contaminated groundwater based on column study

The landfilling of different solid wastes, mining and industrial activities, application of pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture, leads to increased concentrations of heavy metals in soils and further in groundwater. A variety of technologies are available for the remediation of contaminated groundwater, but the most promising alternative technology is in situ treatment using permeable reactive barriers (PRBs). The barrier should have a minimum thickness Hmin that still can reduce concentration of the contaminant to permissible levels. The reduction in the thickness reduces the PRB longevity TL, which mainly depends on the removal efficiency and contaminant flux in the groundwater. The experimental performance in a column filled with natural zeolite of height H = 8 cm enables for estimation of minimum thickness of PRB material for treatment of binary heavy metals (Pb+Zn and Cd+Zn) contaminated waters. The minimum thickness of the PRB is significantly lower than the bed depth of 8 cm confirming high efficiency of zeolite for heavy metals retention. The longevity of PRB is limited by the lowest value of TL which is highly dependent on initial Pb and Cd concentrations in each system. The lowest longevity has been obtained for the highest Pb and Cd initial concentrations for both systems due to earlier exhaustion of active sites in zeolite structure.

natural zeolite, heavy metals, permeable reactive barrier, minimum thickness, longevity

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