Creation of a Subsurface Permeable Reactive Barrier Using in Situ Redox Manipulation

Subsurface contaminants at Department of Energy (DOE) sites occur in both the vadose and groundwater saturated zones. Many of the groundwater plumes are already dispersed over large areas (square miles) and are located hundreds of feet below the ground. This type of dispersed, inaccessible contamination, which is more difficult than other types of contamination to treat using excavation or pump-and-treat methods, may only be treated successfully by the in situ manipulation of natural processes to change the mobility or form of the contaminants. An unconfined aquifer is usually an oxidizing environment, therefore, most of the contaminants that are mobile in the aquifer are those that are mobile under oxidizing conditions. If the redox potential of the aquifer is made reducing, then a variety of contaminants can be treated. The goal of In-Situ Redox Manipulation (ISRM) is to create a permeable treatment zone in the subsurface for remediation of redox sensitive contaminants in the groundwater. The permeable treatment zone is created by reducing the ferric iron to ferrous iron within the clay minerals of the aquifer sediments. This reduction can be accomplished with chemical reducing agents, such as sodium dithionite, or through the stimulation of naturally-occurring iron-reducing bacteria with nutrients (e.g.more » lactate). After the aquifer sediments are reduced, any reagent or reaction products introduced into the subsurface are removed. Redox sensitive contaminants that can be treated by this technology include chromate, uranium, technetium and some chlorinated solvents (e.g., carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethylene). Chromate is immobilized by reduction to highly insoluble chromium hydroxide or iron chromium hydroxide solid solution. This case is particularly favorable since chromium is not easily reoxidized under ambient environmental conditions. Uranium and technetium will also be reduced to less soluble forms, and chlorinated solvents will be destroyed.« less