Synthesis of organoclays for application in Permeable Reactive Barriers to remediate groundwater contaminated by pharmaceuticals
emerging contaminants, sorption, pharmaceuticals, subsurface remediation, contamination plumes
Groundwater is the main global source of fresh water and due to population growth and increased human activities, it has been hit by many types of environmental contaminants. Even in low concentrations (μg to ng/L), lack of toxicological data and absence of legal intervention guidelines, a group of compounds has highlighted in recent years and been the target of research, the Emerging Contaminants (ECs). Among them are the pharmaceutical compounds, which due to their high production and consumption, combined with incomplete assimilation by the human body and persistence in the environment, represent a strong threat to water resources. Therefore, the main objective of this project is to develop a new material, based on the modification of national bentonite clay, which has sorbent characteristics and can be used as a reactive medium in Permeable Reactive Barriers (BRPs) for the remediation of areas contaminated by drugs. Therefore, bentonite clays will be organophilized with different surfactants and evaluated for their drug sorption capacity. The optimized material will be characterized and evaluated through column tests, under flow conditions, as a simulation of a reactive medium for use in BRPs. Finally, solutions for material regeneration after column treatment will be proposed. It is expected to obtain an efficient material for pharmaceuticals removal and with the potential to be used in reactive barriers for remediation of groundwater.