Groundwater protection from cadmium contamination by permeable reactive barriers

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials Vol. 160; no. 2; pp. 428 - 434
• Main Authors: Di Natale, F., Di Natale, M., Greco, R., Lancia, A., Laudante, C., Musmarra, D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 30.12.2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Activated carbon; Adsorption; Applied sciences; Aqueous solutions; Aquifers; Barriers; Biological and physicochemical phenomena; Cadmium; Cadmium - analysis; Chemical engineering; Contamination; Continental surface waters; Exact sciences and technology; Groundwater; Groundwaters; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Laboratory tests; Mathematical models; Natural water pollution; Nitrates - chemistry; Numerical simulation; Permeability; Pollutants; Pollution; PRB; Reaction kinetics; Rivers; Spectrophotometry, Atomic; Stream pollution; Thermodynamics; Transport; Two dimensional; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollution, Chemical - prevention & control; Water Supply - analysis; Water treatment and pollution; Work study; PRB; Cadmium; Numerical simulation; Groundwater; Adsorption; Permeable reactive barrier; Shallow water; Long term; Contamination; Transport process; Pollutant; Decontamination; Activated carbon; Surface water; Laboratory test; Stream; Water pollution; Kinetics; Aqueous solution; Reliability; Ground water
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2008.03.015

This work studies the reliability of an activated carbon permeable reactive barrier in removing cadmium from a contaminated shallow aquifer. Laboratory tests have been performed to characterize the equilibrium and kinetic adsorption properties of the activated carbon in cadmium-containing aqueous solutions. A 2D numerical model has been used to describe pollutant transport within a groundwater and the pollutant adsorption on the permeable adsorbing barrier (PRB). In particular, it has been considered the case of a permeable adsorbing barrier (PAB) used to protect a river from a Cd(II) contaminated groundwater. Numerical results show that the PAB can achieve a long-term efficiency by preventing river pollution for several months.