Amirkabir Journal of Civil Engineering

Amirkabir Journal of Civil Engineering

Removal of Contaminants from Behshehr Landfill Using Permeable Reactive Barriers in Column Adsorption Test

Document Type : Research Article

Authors
Hamed Yekehdehghan 1
Reza Ziaie Moayad 2
1 Ph.D. Candidate, Imam Khomeini International University, Civil Engineering Faculty
2 Professor, Imam Khomeini International University, Civil Engineering Faculty
10.22060/ceej.2026.24891.8362
Abstract
Groundwater contamination by heavy metals, particularly cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn), is a serious environmental problem associated with landfill leachate and industrial activities. Due to their persistence, mobility, and toxicity, these metals threaten ecosystems and human health. Among available remediation methods, permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) have attracted considerable attention because of their long-term effectiveness, low maintenance costs, and minimal disturbance to subsurface environments. The performance of a PRB mainly depends on the characteristics of the reactive medium and its ability to remove contaminants under continuous groundwater flow. This study evaluated a reactive medium composed of 75 wt.% natural clinoptilolite zeolite and 25 wt.% recycled iron filings for removing cadmium and zinc from groundwater under laboratory column conditions representative of the Behshahr landfill site. A Plexiglas column (9 cm diameter and 40 cm height) was used to simulate contaminant transport through the PRB. Influent concentrations were 100 mg/L Zn and 5 mg/L Cd, based on measured landfill leachate concentrations. Effluent samples collected at different depths were analyzed using ICP–MS. Breakthrough curves were interpreted using the Thomas and Yoon–Nelson models to evaluate adsorption capacity, kinetic parameters, and breakthrough behavior. The experimental data were also used to estimate the required PRB thickness for different service lifetimes. The results showed that increasing the reactive-bed depth significantly delayed breakthrough and extended the effective service life of the barrier. Zinc exhibited higher adsorption capacity and longer breakthrough times than cadmium, whereas cadmium reached the regulatory limit earlier and therefore governed the PRB design. Both the Thomas and Yoon–Nelson models adequately described the experimental breakthrough curves, confirming their suitability for predicting contaminant transport in fixed-bed systems. The estimated PRB thickness increased with design lifetime and was consistently greater for cadmium than for zinc. Overall, the combined use of zeolite and recycled iron filings proved to be an efficient and sustainable reactive medium for groundwater remediation affected by landfill leachate.
Keywords
Permeable Reactive Barriers
Column Adsorption Test
Landfill
Cadmium
Zinc
Subjects
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Amirkabir Journal of Civil Engineering
Volume 58, Issue 4
2026
Pages 531-546