Performance of a field-scale permeable reactive barrier based on organic substrate and zero-valent iron for in situ remediation of acid mine drainage

A permeable reactive barrier (PRB) was installed in Aznalcóllar (Spain) in order to rehabilitate the Agrio aquifer groundwater severely contaminated with acid mine drainage after a serious mining accident. The filling material of the PRB consisted of a mixture of calcite, vegetal compost and, locally, Fe⁰ and sewage sludge. Among the successes of the PRB are the continuous neutralisation of pH and the removal of metals from groundwater within the PRB (removals of >95 %). Among the shortcomings are the improper PRB design due to the complexity of the internal structure of the Agrio alluvial deposits (which resulted in an inefficient capture of the contaminated plume), the poor degradability of the compost used and the short residence time within the PRB (which hindered a complete sulphate reduction), the clogging of a section of the PRB and the heterogeneities of the filling material (which resulted in preferential flows within the PRB). Undoubtedly, it is only through accumulated experience at field-scale systems that the potentials and limits of the PRB technology can be determined.