Biogeochemical mineralogical, and hydrological characteristics of an iron reactive barrier used for treatment of uranium and other contaminants

Book · Wed May 01 04:00:00 EDT 2002

OSTI ID:986467

Gu, Baohua ^[1]; Watson, David B ^[1]; Phillips, Debra H ^[2]; Liang, Liyuan ^[1]

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1. ORNL
2. Queen's University, Belfast

A permeable iron reactive barrier was installed in late November, 1997 at the U.S. Department of Energy's Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The overall goal of this research was to determine the effectiveness of the use of zero-valent iron (Fe{sup 0}) to retain or remove uranium and other contaminants such as technetium and nitrate in groundwater. The long-term performance issues were investigated by studying the biogeochemical interactions between Fe{sup 0} and groundwater constituents and the mineralogical and biological characteristics over an extended field operation. Results from nearly 3 years of monitoring indicated that the Fe{sup 0} barrier was performing effectively in removing contaminant radionuclides such as uranium and technetium. In addition, a number of groundwater constituents such as bicarbonates, nitrate, and sulfate were found to react with the Fe{sup 0}. Both nitrate and sulfate were reduced within or in the influence zone of the Fe{sup 0} with a low redox potential (i.e., low Eh). An increased anaerobic microbial population was also observed within and in the vicinity of the Fe{sup 0} barrier, and these microorganisms were at least partially responsible for the reduction of nitrate and sulfate in groundwater. Decreased concentrations of Ca{sup 2+} and bicarbonate in groundwater occurred as a result of the formation of minerals such as aragonite (CaCO{sub 3}) and siderite (FeCO{sub 3}), which coincided with the Fe{sup 0} corrosion and an increased groundwater pH. A suite of mineral precipitates was identified in the Fe{sup 0} barrier system, including amorphous iron oxyhydroxides, goethite, ferrous carbonates and sulfides, aragonite, and green rusts. These minerals were found to be responsible for the cementation and possibly clogging of Fe{sup 0} filings observed in a number of core samples from the barrier. Significant increases in cementation of the Fe{sup 0} occurred between two coring events conducted at {approx}1 year apart and appeared to correspond to the changes in an apparent decrease in hydraulic gradient and connectivity. The present study concludes that, while Fe{sup 0} may be used as an effective reactive medium for the retention or degradation of many redox-sensitive contaminants, its long-term reactivity and performance could be severely hindered by its reactions with other groundwater constituents; and groundwater flow may be restricted because of the build up of mineral precipitates at the soil/Fe{sup 0} interface. Depending on the site biogeochemical conditions, the rate of Fe{sup 0} corrosion may increase; therefore, the life span of the Fe{sup 0} barrier could be shorter than predicted in previous studies ({approx}15-30 years).

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
• Sponsoring Organization: SC USDOE - Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 986467
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
ACID CARBONATES
ARAGONITE
CARBONATES
CORROSION
GOETHITE
HYDRAULICS
IRON
LIFE SPAN
MICROORGANISMS
MONITORING
NATIONAL SECURITY
NITRATES
RADIOISOTOPES
REDOX POTENTIAL
RETENTION
SIDERITE
SULFATES
SULFIDES
TECHNETIUM
URANIUM