Sensitivity Analysis of Important Parameters in Designing Permeable Reactive Barriers (PRBs) Treating Soluble Petroleum Contaminations in Groundwater

The concept of Permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) technology involves the emplacement of a permeable barrier containing reactive materials across the flow path of the contaminated groundwater to intercept and treat the contaminants as the plume flows through it under the influence of the natural hydraulic gradient. Contaminant removal is usually accomplished via processes such as adsorption, precipitation, denitrification and biodegradation.
The focus of the present study was centered on the modeling analysis to support the Permeable Reactive Barrier (PRB) design. In this study we used Visual MODFLOW code to simulate groundwater passing through a barrier. The simulations were then used to study the sensitivity of different parameters and identify those that were critical to the design of the system. The results of the sensitivity analysis and the developed design curves can be used to arrive at a uniform procedure for the design of a Continuous Configuration Barrier System.