Reduction of heavy metals and organic materials by atomized slag barrier in contaminated groundwater

Atomized slag is a residual waste product of steel manufacturing. The use of atomized slag as a recycled material is widespread in Korea, especially for filter media, ceramic filters, coagulate, construction materials, abrasives, and desulfurizing agents. The absorptivity of atomized slag as a reactive media for a permeable reactive barrier to eliminate pollutants inflowing from landfills was investigated in this study. Physical tests were performed to analyze the engineering properties of the atomized slag. The absorptive performance of the atomized slag against heavy metals and organics was examined in batch and column tests. Pilot-scaled and field tests were performed and monitored to evaluate the absorptivity of the atomized slag in the permeable reactive barrier against heavy metals and organics. The pilot-scaled test results showed the removal efficiencies of more than 94.9% for organics and more than 99.9% for heavy metals passing into the atomized media. The field test results indicated that the removal efficiencies of the atomized slag applied in the permeable reactive barrier were measured to be from 82 to 85% for organics and from 90 to 95% for heavy metals. The implications of the results are discussed.