Use of geophysical methods in investigating PRBs employing non-conductive reactive materials

Resistivity survey and ground penetrating radar (GPR) were used for investigating a full-scale permeable reactive barrier (PRB) installed nearby abandoned mines of the Go-sung area, located on the south coast of the Korean peninsula. The aims of the testing program included evaluating the applicability of geophysical methods in: 1) locating PRB installations, 2) investigating the movement of groundwater through the PRB and 3) qualitatively identifying the extent of contaminant removal on the PRB. The results indicated that both resistivity and GPR surveys were applicable in giving exact locations of PRB installation based on given information on the reactive material properties, including particle size, composition and electrical characteristics. The resistivity survey was also successful in evaluating the movement of groundwater at different locations nearby the PRB installation. On this basis, results and discussion of the testing program provides evidence of the reliability of geophysical surveys to be used as in-destructive methods for investigating PRBs in operation.