MOD-PRBNA · Biogeochemical transport modelling of groundwater remediation based on a permeable reactive barrier and natural attenuation
FP6 — Marie Curie Actions (Human Resources and Mobility)
- Duration
- 2006-10-01 → 2007-07-31
- EU contribution
- €80,000
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- IRG
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Results in brief
Final Activity Report Summary - MOD-PRBNA (Biogeochemical transport modelling of groundwater remediation based on a permeable reactive barrier and natural attenuation)
Permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) are used to clean-up polluted groundwater by creating favourable conditions for degradation of pollutants by micro-organisms. The objective of the project was to improve our knowledge on the performance of permeable reactive barriers. The project has resulted in a better understanding of the operation of permeable reactive barriers under realistic groundwater flow regimes and biogeochemical conditions. A model was developed based on the existing PHT3D code, that couples groundwater flow to the pertinent chemical and biological reactions in the barrier. Lab-scale model simulations suggest that the long-term efficiency of iron barriers is mostly determined by decreases in iron reactivity (due to mineral precipitation), and that decreases in porosity are less important. The model for PRBs is now available with a user-friendly excel interface and can be used to design future PRBs, to test the performance of the barrier and to evaluate the longevity of the technology.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Remediation of groundwater pollution has traditionally been achieved by energy-intensive and drastic methods such as pump and treat systems. Recently, more economically viable and less invasive methods such as monitored natural attenuation and permeable reactive barriers have been used to clean up a wide variety of groundwater pollutants. These latter techniques rely on in-situ biogeochemical transformations of the pollutants into less harmful components. However, sound application of these techniques requires a solid understanding of the site-specific hydrogeolocical and biogeochemical conditions, and a predictive assessment of long-term remediation efficiency.The objective of the proposed research is to develop a reactive transport modelling tool that accounts for these complex biogeochemical reactions and allows: (1) the interpretation of laboratory and field data from a contaminated industrial site in Belgium; and (2) the prediction and comparison of the long-term performance of remediation strategies based on permeable reactive barrier technology and monitored natural attenuation.Results will provide insight into the relative merits of these technologies for groundwater remediation at the study site, and will generate a modelling tool that can be applied to other sites to assess likely success or failure of these alternative remediation techniques.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- VLAAMS INSTITUUT VOOR TECHNOLOGISCH ONDERZOEK · MOLCoordinatorCity levelBelgium
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union