Long-term performance of in situ reactive barriers for nitrate remediation

Nitrate is now recognized as a widespread ground water contaminant, which has led to increased efforts to control and mitigate its impacts. This study reports on the long-term performance of four pilot-scale field trials in which reactive porous barriers were used to provide passive in situ treatment of nitrate in ground water. At two of the sites (Killarney and Borden), the reactive barriers were installed as horizontal layers underneath septic system infiltration beds; at a third site (Long Point), a barrier was installed as a vertical mall intercepting a horizontally migrating septic system plume; and at the fourth site (North Campus), a barrier was installed as a containerized subsurface reactor treating farm field drainage water. The reactive media consisted of 15% to 100% by volume of waste cellulose solids (wood mulch, sawdust, leaf compost), which provided a carbon source for heterotrophic denitrification, The field trials have been in semicontinuous operation for six to seven Sears at hydraulic loading rates ranging from sis to 2000 L/day, Trials have been successful in attenuating influent NO3- (or NO3- + NH4+ at Borden) concentrations averaging from 4.8 mg/L N at North Campus to 57 mg/L N at Killarney; by amounts averaging 80% at Killarney: 74% at Borden? 91% at Long Point, and 58 % at North Campus. Nitrate consumption rates mere temperature dependent and ranged from 0.7 to 32 mg L N/day, but did not deteriorate over the monitoring period. Furthermore, mass-balance calculations indicate that carbon consumption by heterotrophic denitrification has so far used only about 2% to 3% of the initial carbon mass in each case. Results suggest that such barriers should be capable of providing NO3- treatment for at least a decade or longer without carbon replenishment. Reactive barriers have now been used to treat nitrate contamination from a variety of sources including septic systems, agricultural runoff, landfill leachate, and industrial operations. This demonstration of successful long-term operation should allow this technology to become more widely considered for nitrate remediation, particularly at sites where passive treatment requiring a minimum of maintenance is desired.