Heavy metals removal from contaminated groundwater using permeable reactive barriers with immobilised membranes

Abstract

Iwona Zawierucha1, Cezary Kozlowski1 & Grzegorz Malina2 1Institute of Chemistry, Environmental Protection and Biotechnology, Jan Dlugosz University of Czestochowa, Czestochowa, Poland 2Department of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology, AGH University of Science andTechnology, Cracow, PolandABSTRACTThe performance of polymer inclusion membrane (PIM) within a permeable reactive barrier was evaluated for the removal of cadmium and zinc from the synthetic groundwater at their initial concentrations of 25 mg/l. The facilitated transport of Zn(II) and Cd(II) through PIM containing 7-dinonylnaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (DNNS) as an ion carrier, and o-nitrophenyl pentyl ether (ONPPE) as a plasticiser allowed for reducing the Cd(II) and Zn(II) concentrations in groundwater below permissible limits for drinking water. The recovery factor values of Zn(II) and Cd(II) ions for the transport through PIM with 0.50 M of DNNS, were 98% and 91%, respectively.