Characteristics of the transport of zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) in an aquifer were investigated to evaluate an application of nZVI-based reactive zone technology. Main flow direction of groundwater was north. Preferential flow paths of the groundwater identified by natural gradient tracer test were shown northeast and northwest. The highest groundwater velocity was $4.86{\times}10^{-5}$ m/s toward northwest. When the breakthrough curves obtained from the gravity injection of nZVI were compared with the tracer curves, the transport of nZVI was retarded and retardation factors were 1.17 and 1.34 at monitoring wells located on the northeast and northwest, respectively. The ratios of the amount of nZVI delivered to the amount of tracer delivered at the two wells mentioned above were 24 and 28 times greater than that of the well on the main flow direction, respectively. Attachment efficiency based on a filtration theory was $4.08{\times}10^{-2}$ along the northwest direction that was the main migration route of nZVI. Our results, compared to attachment efficiencies obtained in other studies, demonstrate that the mobility of nZVI was higher than that of results reported in previous studies, regardless of large iron particle sizes of the current study. Based on distribution of nZVI estimated by the attachment efficiency, it was found that nZVI present within 1.05 m from injection well could remove 99% of TCE within 6 months.

Keywords: nZVI;Tracer test;Preferential flow path;Filtration theory;Radius of influence;