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Performance Monitoring: Evaluating a Wheat Straw PRB for Nitrate Removal at an Agricultural Operation
Citation:
HUTCHINS, S. R. AND R. T. WILKIN. Performance Monitoring: Evaluating a Wheat Straw PRB for Nitrate Removal at an Agricultural Operation. IN: Technology News & Trends, U.S. EPA Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation, Washington, DC, (60):2-5, (2012).
Impact/Purpose:
The purpose of this product is for conducting long-term monitoring of a wheat straw permeable reactive barrier (PRB) for remediation of ground water contaminated with nitrate from a now-closed swine concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) in Oklahoma.
Description:
The U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) is conducting long-term monitoring of a wheat straw permeable reactive barrier (PRB) for remediation of ground water contaminated with nitrate from a now-closed swine concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) in Oklahoma. Extensive groundwater contamination by both nitrate and ammonium arose from a leaking waste lagoon through seven years of operation. The selected remediation strategy involved installing an interception trench barrier for recovery and subsequent above-ground treatment of ammonium through use of an evaporation basin, and a PRB containing commercial wheat straw for in situ treatment of nitrate resulting from nitrification of the ammonium plume. Results from the nine-year study show that the PRB has been successfully promoting denitrification, but that localized failures are beginning to occur due to depletion of the reactive straw matrix.
