This technology is a groundwater flow control and contamination prevention system that creates a hydraulic boundary between extraction wells, which draw in contaminated groundwater, and injection wells, which return the treated water to the subsurface, with a reactive barrier placed inside this boundary to treat contaminants.
Conventional reactive barriers require excavating long, narrow trenches, which poses a risk of ground collapse due to excessive excavation and limits the depth at which they can be used. Furthermore, their linear structure requires a large installation footprint and high initial construction costs, and they are difficult to modify if the primary contaminants change over time.
This technology arranges multiple extraction and injection wells in a staggered pattern perpendicular to the flow direction, with injection wells placed upstream to create a V-shaped hydraulic boundary that narrows toward the extraction wells, allowing the reactive barrier size to be optimized. It uses reactive wells with replaceable cartridge media, arranged in a staggered, sawtooth pattern. Two-stage purification is provided by internal filters in the extraction wells and upstream permeable reactive barriers. Applicable to industrial sites, mine tailings, landfills, and fuel storage areas, this system allows for the concentration of contaminated groundwater plumes by adjusting well spacing and flow rates, significantly reducing the number of wells and excavation required.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Environment for the development of reactive media for controlling the spread of inorganic contaminants and the development of construction/control technologies for contamination prevention facilities.
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