Design, Implementation and Environmental Impact of Cutoff Wall for Pollution Control in an Industrial Legacy Site
Heavy metal-organic pollutants compound pollution at industrial legacy sites and have caused damage to the ecological environment and human health during recent decades. In view of the difficulty and high cost of post-contamination remediation, it is worth studying, and practically applying, cutoff...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Toxics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/13/1/11 |
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| author | Lu Yu Sichen Chen Jinnan Wang Zhihong Zhang Yan Huang |
| author_facet | Lu Yu Sichen Chen Jinnan Wang Zhihong Zhang Yan Huang |
| author_sort | Lu Yu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Heavy metal-organic pollutants compound pollution at industrial legacy sites and have caused damage to the ecological environment and human health during recent decades. In view of the difficulty and high cost of post-contamination remediation, it is worth studying, and practically applying, cutoff walls to reduce the spread of pollution in advance. In this study, field-scale studies were carried out at e-waste dismantling legacy sites in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province of China, through the process of site investigation, numerical simulation, and cutoff wall practical application. Firstly, the concentrations and spatial distributions of Pb, Cd and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and poly brominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were identified in both soil and groundwater. Then, potential dispersal routes of key combined contaminants (Pb and PCBs) at the soil–groundwater interface were systematically studied through numerical simulation applying Visual MODFLOW-MT3DMS. One site was chosen to predict the barrier effect of differently sized cutoff walls based on the migration path of compound pollutants. A protocol for a cutoff wall (50 m length × 2 m width × 3 m height) was finally verified and applied at the real contaminated site for the blocking of compound pollutant diffusion. Further, the groundwater quality of the contaminated site was monitored consecutively for six months to ensure the durability and stability of barrier measures. All pollutant indicators, including for Pb and PCB complex pollutants, were reduced to below the national Grade IV groundwater standard value, achieving environmental standards at these polluted sites and providing possibilities for land reuse. In summary, this field-scale test provided new ideas for designing cutoff walls to block the diffusion of complex pollutants; it also laid a basis for the practical application of cutoff walls in pollution prevention and control of complex contaminated sites and for soil–groundwater environmental protection at industrial heritage sites. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d55c752edac54b2eb9ef797b1f950dd2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2305-6304 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Toxics |
| spelling | doaj-art-d55c752edac54b2eb9ef797b1f950dd22025-01-24T13:50:55ZengMDPI AGToxics2305-63042024-12-011311110.3390/toxics13010011Design, Implementation and Environmental Impact of Cutoff Wall for Pollution Control in an Industrial Legacy SiteLu Yu0Sichen Chen1Jinnan Wang2Zhihong Zhang3Yan Huang4College of Materials Science & Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, ChinaCollege of Materials Science & Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, ChinaCollege of Materials Science & Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, ChinaFaculty of Architecture, Civil and Transportation Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, ChinaZhejiang Zone-King Environmental Sci & Tech Co., Ltd., Hangzhou 310064, ChinaHeavy metal-organic pollutants compound pollution at industrial legacy sites and have caused damage to the ecological environment and human health during recent decades. In view of the difficulty and high cost of post-contamination remediation, it is worth studying, and practically applying, cutoff walls to reduce the spread of pollution in advance. In this study, field-scale studies were carried out at e-waste dismantling legacy sites in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province of China, through the process of site investigation, numerical simulation, and cutoff wall practical application. Firstly, the concentrations and spatial distributions of Pb, Cd and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and poly brominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were identified in both soil and groundwater. Then, potential dispersal routes of key combined contaminants (Pb and PCBs) at the soil–groundwater interface were systematically studied through numerical simulation applying Visual MODFLOW-MT3DMS. One site was chosen to predict the barrier effect of differently sized cutoff walls based on the migration path of compound pollutants. A protocol for a cutoff wall (50 m length × 2 m width × 3 m height) was finally verified and applied at the real contaminated site for the blocking of compound pollutant diffusion. Further, the groundwater quality of the contaminated site was monitored consecutively for six months to ensure the durability and stability of barrier measures. All pollutant indicators, including for Pb and PCB complex pollutants, were reduced to below the national Grade IV groundwater standard value, achieving environmental standards at these polluted sites and providing possibilities for land reuse. In summary, this field-scale test provided new ideas for designing cutoff walls to block the diffusion of complex pollutants; it also laid a basis for the practical application of cutoff walls in pollution prevention and control of complex contaminated sites and for soil–groundwater environmental protection at industrial heritage sites.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/13/1/11organic pollutantsheavy metalscutoff wallssoil–groundwater environmentpollution control and preventionnumerical simulation |
| spellingShingle | Lu Yu Sichen Chen Jinnan Wang Zhihong Zhang Yan Huang Design, Implementation and Environmental Impact of Cutoff Wall for Pollution Control in an Industrial Legacy Site Toxics organic pollutants heavy metals cutoff walls soil–groundwater environment pollution control and prevention numerical simulation |
| title | Design, Implementation and Environmental Impact of Cutoff Wall for Pollution Control in an Industrial Legacy Site |
| title_full | Design, Implementation and Environmental Impact of Cutoff Wall for Pollution Control in an Industrial Legacy Site |
| title_fullStr | Design, Implementation and Environmental Impact of Cutoff Wall for Pollution Control in an Industrial Legacy Site |
| title_full_unstemmed | Design, Implementation and Environmental Impact of Cutoff Wall for Pollution Control in an Industrial Legacy Site |
| title_short | Design, Implementation and Environmental Impact of Cutoff Wall for Pollution Control in an Industrial Legacy Site |
| title_sort | design implementation and environmental impact of cutoff wall for pollution control in an industrial legacy site |
| topic | organic pollutants heavy metals cutoff walls soil–groundwater environment pollution control and prevention numerical simulation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/13/1/11 |
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