Three-Dimensional Numerical Modelling for Simultaneous Removal of Multi
Contaminants from Permeable Reactive Barrier (PRB): A Long-Term In-situ
Aquifer Remediation Study
Abstract
The quality of groundwater (GW) has deteriorated rapidly, which causes
many serious threats owing to the exposure of many contaminants to the
environment and living creatures. In the last three decades, Permeable
Reactive Barrier (PRB) has been proven an efficient and well-established
in-situ GW remediation technology for treating various contaminated
sites around the world. In this study, the long-term performance of an
in-situ PRB has been evaluated by three-dimensional numerical modelling
using Visual MODFLOW for the simultaneous treatment of three different
contaminants, nitrate (NO3-), phosphate (PO43-) and hexavalent chromium
Cr(VI), from GW. The selected materials for PRB are considered as a
mixture of five different low cost-reactive materials, i.e., rise husk
(RH), fly ash (FA), quartz sand (QS), activated charcoal (AC), and
activated alumina (AA), in an optimized proportion. Initially, the model
has been simulated for a period of 10 years to obtain the natural
attenuation of contaminant plume, with NO3-, PO43-, Cr(VI) contaminants,
with the aquifer. Further, multiple continuous PRBs have been installed
with optimized design and selected material properties. The simulation
results show that the PRB is able to remediate the continuous
multi-contaminant plume effectively. The interference of contaminants in
the PRB performance also indicates a significant factor in the decline
or enhancement of PRB performance in the long run. Similarly, the
pumping rate in the proximity of PRB emplacement and the ratio of PRB to
surrounding aquifer hydraulic conductivity also played a significant
role in enhancing PRB performance. The higher the ratio, the larger the
plume contaminant passes through the aquifer, which increases the
overall removal efficiency of the PRB system. Therefore, the
three-dimensional numerical modelling simulation results of the flow and
solute transport model following the PRB performance for simultaneous
removal of multi contaminants pave the way for opting for an efficient
PRB design for the effective and sustainable performance for a variety
of aquifers remediation. The model also provides support to build the
understanding for avoiding any potential failure after the emplacement
of PRB in the field.