Analytical Model for the Design of Permeable Reactive Barriers Considering Solute Transport in a Dual-Domain System

A permeable reactive barrier (PRB) is an effective groundwater in situ remediation technology, and the design methods used for PRBs are significant in ensuring that they meet remediation goals. Steady-state analytical solutions are an effective tool to provide conservative and simple design methods. A steady-state analytical solution is proposed to describe organic contaminant transport through the PRB and aquifer in a PRB and cut-off wall system. The proposed analytical solution may serve as an effective tool to provide conservative and simple design methods. The shape factor (S) is introduced at the PRB-aquifer interface to investigate the effects of a PRB's layout forms on its performance. The results show that the relative contaminant concentration at the point of compliance for a PRB with S = 8 is 11 orders of magnitude larger than that without considering the shape factor. Effects of degradation, dispersion, and advection on PRB design are subjected to dimensionless analysis. Dimensionless analysis shows that degradation plays a key role in decreasing contaminant concentration in the PRB. In addition, increasing advection may promote contaminant transport from the source to the aquifer. Simplified solutions to estimate PRB thickness and source remediation time are derived for the practical design and performance evaluation of the PRB system. DOI: 10.1061/JOEEDU.EEENG-7159. (c) 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Automated summary

A permeable reactive barrier (PRB) is an effective technology for groundwater remediation, and its design methods are crucial for achieving remediation goals. Steady-state analytical solutions offer a conservative and simple approach to PRB design. This study proposes a steady-state analytical solution to describe organic contaminant transport through a PRB and aquifer system. The shape factor is introduced to investigate the impact of PRB layout on its performance. Dimensionless analysis is used to examine the effects of degradation, dispersion, and advection on PRB design. Simplified solutions for estimating PRB thickness and source remediation time are derived. These findings provide practical insights for the design and evaluation of PRB systems.