United States
                     Environmental Protection
                     Agency
                                           Office of Research and Development (481)
                                           Office of Solid Waste and
                                           Emergency Response (5102G)
                                                                               EPA542-F-96-010C
                                                                               September 1996
xvEPA        Permeable  Barriers  Action  Team
         RTDF
     RTDF Action
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                                    What is the  Permeable Barriers Action

                                    Team?

                                    The Permeable Barriers Action Team was established in March 1995, as one
                                    of the five Action Teams under the Remediation Technologies Development
                                    Forum  (RTDF).   The RTDF was created by EPA in 1992 to foster
                                    collaboration between the public and private sectors in finding innovative
                                    solutions to mutual hazardous waste problems. The Action Team has met to
                                    discuss ongoing research, to identify development needs not currently being
                                    addressed, and to develop plans for two collaborative field studies.  To
                                    facilitate the experimental design and performance development for the field
                                    studies, two  work groups have been formed within the Permeable Barriers
                                    Action  Team.  One group is addressing the use of permeable barriers to
                                    remediate chlorinated solvents, and the other is focusing on the treatment of
                                    inorganics and low-level radioactive wastes.


                                    What is the Action Team9s Mission?

                                    The mission of the Permeable Barriers Action Team is to accelerate  the
                                    development of cost-effective permeable barrier technologies for mitigating
                                    chlorinated  solvents,  metals,  radionuclides, and other  pollutants in
                                    groundwater.  The Action Team will undertake the development and
                                    evaluation efforts needed to achieve public and regulatory acceptance of this
                                    technology.  The efforts focus on:
                                         Defining of the hydraulics, geo-
                                         chemistry,  and  reactions that
                                         occur in the media and aquifers.

                                         Demonstrations that validate the
                                         technology's effectiveness.

                                         Protocols for design and imple-
                                         mentation.
                                                                   Effective emplacement techniques
                                                                   and  configurations (engineering
                                                                   design and constructability).

                                                                   Economic analysis of treatment
                                                                   cost.

                                                                   Public/regulatory  acceptance of
                                                                   the technology.
                                    What 15 a Permeable Barrier?

                                    A permeable barrier is a passive in-situ treatment zone of reactive material
                                    that degrades or immobilizes contaminants as groundwater flows through it.
                                    Permeable treatment walls are installed as permanent, semi-permanent, or
                                    replaceable units across the flow path of a contaminant plume.  Natural
                                    gradients transport contaminants through strategically placed treatment
                                    media.  The media degrade, sorb, precipitate, or remove chlorinated sol-
                                    vents, metals, radionuclides, and other pollutants.   These barriers may
                                    contain reactants for degrading volatile organics, chelators for immobilizing
                                    metals, nutrients and oxygen for microorganisms to enhance bioremediation,
                                    or other agents.

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Degradation barriers facilitate reactions that break down contaminants in the
plume into harmless byproducts.  Precipitation barriers react with contami-
nants to form insoluble products that remain in the barrier as groundwater
continues to flow through. Sorption barriers adsorb or chelate contaminants.

     Conceptual Configuration of Permeable Barrier System
                                       Permeable Reactive
                                              Barrier
                                                                                  KTDF
                                                                            Memediatloit 'Ifecl3.nologi.es
                                                                               Development fbrum
 What Activities are Planned?

The Air Force has asked the Action Team to participate in a study entitled
Catalytic In-Sitit Treatment of Chlorinated Solvents, to be conducted at Dover
Air Force Base (AFB), DE. This study is being coordinated by the Air Force's
Armstrong  Laboratory under the  Department of Defense's  Strategic
Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP).   The
Organics WorkGroup of the Permeable Barriers Action Team is assisting with
the design of this SERDP-funded study.  Field work is proposed to be initiated
at Dover AFB in 1997. The Inorganics Work Group  is in the process of
assessing potential sites for evaluating the effectiveness of permeable barrier
technology in treating mixed contaminants.


 Who are the Action  Team Members?
  ILrtfi
           Battelle Memorial
            Institute
           Cercona
	Clean Sites
 Dow
 DuPont
 EMCON
 EnviroMetal Technologies
 General Electric
 Geomatrix
 ICI Americas
 Monsanto
 Zeneca
   To request other RTDF factsheets, please
              write/fax to:

              EPA/NCEPI
   11305 Reed Hartman Highway, Suite 219
          Cincinnati, OH 45241
           lax: (513)489-8695
           U.S. Air Force
           U.S. Army Corps of
            Engineers
           U.S. DOE Idaho National
  Engineering Laboratory
U.S. DOE Oak Ridge National Laboratory
U.S. DOE Pacific Northwest Laboratory
U.S. DOE Sandia National Laboratory
U.S. DOE Savannah River Laboratory
U.S. EPA National Exposure Research Laboratory
U.S. EPA National Risk Management Research
  Laboratory
U.S. EPA Technology Innovation Office
            U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering
              Command
                                                  New Mexico Tech
                                                  University of
                                                   Waterloo
      Would You like

              More

        Information?

 For more information on the Permeable
  Barriers Action Team, please contact:

   '$$*jj*?\ Bob Puls, Ph.D.  ^  % • '
   U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ">
    •:•::;,' National Risk Management
     ::-!jl• jpResearch Laboratory
              P.O. 1198     ;, V /
            Ada, OK 74820 ,"  ,   '
           Tel: (405) 436-8543'
      Email: puls@ad3100oida.epa.gov

           Dale Schultz, PhJX
           DuPont Company
        Glasgow Site, Building 300
           Newark, DM 1{014
           Tel: C302)|I|P9871
 Email: schultds@al.esyjax.umc.dupont.com

For information on the RTDF or the other
     Action Teams | please contact:

             RobertOlexscy
     VS. Environmental Protection Agency
           Tel: (513) 569-7861
     Email: olexscy.bob@epamail.epa.gov

         Walter Koralick, Jr., Ph.D.
     VS. Environmental Protection Agency
           Teir(7j»3) 603-9910
    Email: kovalicCvralter@eiiamail.epa.gov

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