LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE OF PERMEABLE REACTIVE BARRIERS: LESSONS LEARNED ON DESIGN, CONTAMINANT TREATMENT, LONGEVITY, PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND COST - AN OVERVIEW

Abstract

An overview of permeable reactive barrier (PRB) performance for field sites in the U.S. was evaluated over the last 10 years by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Office of Research and Development (EPA-ORD) in collaboration with other U.S. federal agencies, consulting companies and academic institutions under activities sponsored by the EPAs Remedial Technology Development Forum (RTDF). The RTDF is a public-private partnership which undertakes research, development, demonstration, and evaluation efforts focused on finding innovative solutions to high priority environmental problems. The focus has been on evaluating the effectiveness of these systems for plume capture and contaminant degradation/immobilization, microbiological and geochemical impacts on reactivity and longevity, and cost. Challenges for future research, development and application of PRBs are also presented.