Past industry and government waste management practices have left a legacy of soil, surface water, and groundwater contamination. The contamination of ground water is the most pressing problem because of its mobility. Without treatment, groundwater migrates and contaminates uncontaminated water. Effective clean up methods such as pump and treat are costly and labor intensive, and other alternatives (i.e. grout walls and sheet piles) are not effective long term solutions. This project will develop Chemically Activated Fly Ash (CAFA) concrete to be used as a matrix of a permeable containment barrier to retain heavy metal and radionuclide wastes and allow water to pass. The key to this product is the ease of installation and low maintenance costs and would be compatible with existing grout wall equipment and installation techniques. In Phase I, test specimens will be made from CAFA concrete. These specimens will be tested for permeability, the ability to reduce heavy metal levels, and the ability of a specimen with zeolite to reduce heavy metals in contaminated water. In Phase II, demonstration of the technology will be performed at contaminated sites through collaborating with companies involved in remediation and the Department of Energy. The investigation will lead to design criteria, material specifications, quality control methods, and a pilot scale process to verify commercial potential.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Controlled Permeability CAFA will be able to filter contaminants from groundwater and aqueous waste streams. Commercial applications include remediation of groundwater contamination, treatment of industrial waste streams, feed lot and agricultural runoff control, ammonia control, and control of point and non-point sources of pollution. CAFA will offer similar performance to current technologies at much less cost.
