Evaluation of Permeable Reactive Barrier Performance

Permeable reactive barriers PRB are developing into an entire new class of technologies for groundwater remediation. A permeable barrier is a porous barrier that is placed in the path of a groundwater plume, in various configurations. The barrier, or at least the permeable portion of the barrier, contains a reactive or adsorptive medium that helps remove the contaminants from the plume, as the groundwater flows through the barrier. The primary advantage of permeable barriers is their passive operation and the resulting potential for long-term cost savings. The technology emerged in the mid-1990s with the use of granular zero-valent iron as a reactive medium for treatment of groundwater contaminated with chlorinated volatile organic compounds CVOCs, such as trichloroethylene TCE and perchloroethylene PCE. More recently, there is interest in developing other treatment media and methods of construction to address a broader variety of contaminants and sites.