Treatment of Chlorinated Aliphatic Contamination of Groundwater by Horizontal Recirculation Wells and by Constructed Vertical Flow Wetlands

Abstract : This work explores two innovative technologies for the remediation of chlorinated ethene solvents contaminating groundwater: (1) groundwater circulation wells (GCWs) with downwell zero-valent metal reductive dechlorination reactors, and (2) constructed vertical subsurface flow wetlands. Both the natural dechlorination in wetland sediments, and the engineered dechlorination in a well using zero-valent metals have major implications for the treatment of Air Force pollutants, with the potential to save millions of dollars annually in long term remediation at hundreds of sites across the Air Force. Complementary modeling and column studies examined the potential for controlling and treating groundwater contamination using groundwater circulation wells (GCWs) with downwell zero-valent metal reductive dechlorination reactors. The construction of the field scale wetland research facility includes two complete wetland cells (140 x 60 feet each), fully contained. Chemical analysis of samples drawn from the various depths of wetland sediment suggests a very heterogeneous development of microbial activity relevant to reductive dechlorination over the course of one year of operation. Concentration contours of PCE, TCE, and nitrate suggest that reductive dechlorination is taking place when more readily reducible electron acceptors (like nitrate) are depleted. PCE is reduced ten-fold from inflow to outflow, even with significant short-circuiting of flow from the bottom sediments to the outflow. Data suggests 100-fold treatment is possible.