Long‐Term Performance of an In Situ “Iron Wall” for Remediation of VOCs

Abstract

The use of granular iron for in situ degradation of dissolved chlorinated organic compounds is rapidly gaining acceptance as a cost‐effective technology for ground water remediation. This paper describes the first field demonstration of the technology, and is of particular importance since it provides the longest available record of performance (five years). A mixture of 22% granular iron and 78% sand was installed as a permeable “wall” across the path of a contaminant plume at Canadian Forces Base, Borden, Ontario. The major contaminants were trichloroethene (TCE, 268 mg/L) and tetrachloroethene (PCE, 58 mg/L). Approximately 90% of the TCE and 86% of the PCE were removed by reductive dechlorination within the wall, with no measurable decrease in performance over the five year duration of the test. Though about 1% of the influent TCE and PCE appeared as dichloroethene isomers as a consequence of the dechlorination of TCE and PCE, these also degraded within the iron‐sand mixture. Performance of the field installation was reasonably consistent with the results of laboratory column studies conducted to simulate the field behavior. However, if a more reactive iron material, or a higher percentage of iron had been used, complete removal of the chlorinated compounds might have been achieved. Changes in water chemistry indicated that calcium carbonate was precipitating within the reactive material; however, the trace amount of precipitate detected in core samples collected four years after installation of the wall suggest that the observed performance should persist for at least another five years. The study provides strong evidence that in situ use of granular iron could provide a long‐term, low‐maintenance cost solution for many ground water contamination problems.