All Issue

2026 Vol.31, Issue 4 Preview Page

Research Paper

Evaluation of Denitrification Rates in an Organic-Based Permeable Reactive Barrier under Different Temperature Conditions

온도 변화에 따른 유기물 기반 투과성 반응벽의 탈질 반응 속도 평가

Gyu Hyun Han1
,
Soyeon Lim2
,
Sung-Wook Jeen12*
한 규현1
,
임 소연2
,
진 성욱12*
1Department of Climate, Environment and Energy, Jeonbuk National University, Republic of Korea
2Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences & The Earth and Environmental Science System Research Center, Jeonbuk National University, Republic of Korea
1전북대학교 기후환경에너지융합학과
2전북대학교 지구환경과학과 & 지구환경시스템 연구소
*Corresponding Author
31 August 2026. pp. 37-50
PDF XML Citation
Abstract

Nitrate contamination of groundwater poses environmental and public-health risks. An organic-based permeable reactive barrier (PRB) removes nitrate via heterotrophic denitrification, which is strongly influenced by temperature. However, its temperature dependence has not been quantified under controlled conditions with spatially resolved reaction profiles. This study evaluated temperature-dependent denitrification kinetics in a laboratory-scale column packed with pine woodchips to simulate a PRB. Profile samplings were conducted at ambient (24.4°C) and cold (8.8°C), and pH, alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, redox potential, nitrate and nitrite concentrations were measured. Zero-order kinetics, the Q10 index, which is the fold-change in rate per 10°C, and activation energy obtained from the Arrhenius equation were used to quantify the temperature effect. Under both temperature conditions, geochemical indicators confirmed reducing environments suitable for denitrification. Nitrate removal reached 94.6% in the effluent at 24.4°C but declined to 16.5% at 8.8°C, with zero-order rate constants of 0.206 and 0.035 mmol L-1 day-1, respectively, representing a 5.9-fold difference. Calculated from the zero-order rate constants at the two temperatures, the Q10 index (3.12) and activation energy (79.3 kJ mol-1) exceeded values typically reported for woodchip bioreactors, presumably reflecting reduced organic carbon availability and bacterial enzyme activity at low temperatures. These findings provide a quantitative basis for designing organic-based PRBs under seasonally varying temperatures.

Keywords
Activation energy
Groundwater remediation
Nitrate
Q10 index
Temperature dependence
References
1

Addy, K., Gold, A.J., Christianson, L.E., David, M.B., Schipper, L.A., and Ratigan, N.A., 2016, Denitrifying bioreactors for nitrate removal: A meta‐analysis, J. Environ. Qual., 45(3), 873-881.

10.2134/jeq2015.07.0399
2

Adouani, N., Limousy, L., Lendormi, T., and Sire, O., 2015, N2O and NO emissions during wastewater denitrification step: influence of temperature on the biological process, Comptes Rendus. Chimie, 18(1), 15-22.

10.1016/j.crci.2014.11.005
3

Al-Hashimi, O., Hashim, K., Loffill, E., Marolt Čebašek, T., Nakouti, I., Faisal, A.A.H., and Al-Ansari, N., 2021, A comprehensive review for groundwater contamination and remediation: occurrence, migration and adsorption modelling, Molecules, 26(19), 5913.

10.3390/molecules2619591334641456PMC8512142
4

Appelo, C.A.J. and Postma, D., 2004, Geochemistry, Groundwater and Pollution, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

10.1201/9781439833544
5

Benner, S., Blowes, D., Ptacek, C., and Mayer, K., 2002, Rates of sulfate reduction and metal sulfide precipitation in a permeable reactive barrier, Appl. Geochem., 17(3), 301-320.

10.1016/S0883-2927(01)00084-1
6

Budania, R. and Dangayach, S., 2023, A comprehensive review on permeable reactive barrier for the remediation of groundwater contamination, J. Environ. Manage., 332, 117343.

10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117343
7

Buyanjargal, A., Kang, J., Lee, J.-H., and Jeen, S.-W., 2023, Nitrate removal rates, isotopic fractionation, and denitrifying bacteria in a woodchip-based permeable reactive barrier system: a long-term column experiment, Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., 30(13), 36364-36376.

10.1007/s11356-022-24826-4
8

Christianson, L.E., Bhandari, A., and Helmers, M.J., 2012, A practice-oriented review of woodchip bioreactors for subsurface agricultural drainage, Appl. Eng. Agric., 28(6), 861-874.

10.13031/2013.42479
9

Craswell, E., 2021, Fertilizers and nitrate pollution of surface and ground water: an increasingly pervasive global problem, SN Appl. Sci., 3(4), 518.

10.1007/s42452-021-04521-8
10

David, M.B., Gentry, L.E., Cooke, R.A., and Herbstritt, S.M., 2016, Temperature and substrate control woodchip bioreactor performance in reducing tile nitrate loads in east‐central Illinois, J. Environ. Qual., 45(3), 822-829.

10.2134/jeq2015.06.0296
11

Davidson, E.A. and Janssens, I.A., 2006, Temperature sensitivity of soil carbon decomposition and feedbacks to climate change, Nature, 440(7081), 165-173.

10.1038/nature04514
12

Debernardi, L., De Luca, D.A., and Lasagna, M., 2008, Correlation between nitrate concentration in groundwater and parameters affecting aquifer intrinsic vulnerability, Environ. Geol., 55(3), 539-558.

10.1007/s00254-007-1006-1
13

Foglar, L., Šiljeg, M., and Babić, A.M., 2016, Use of ion exchange beads as a bacterial carrier for biodenitrification, J. Am. Water Works Assoc., 108(12), E624-E634.

10.5942/jawwa.2016.108.0183
14

Gavaskar, A.R., 1999, Design and construction techniques for permeable reactive barriers, J. Hazard. Mater., 68(1-2), 41-71.

10.1016/S0304-3894(99)00031-X
15

Gibert, O., Assal, A., Devlin, H., Elliot, T., and Kalin, R.M., 2019, Performance of a field-scale biological permeable reactive barrier for in-situ remediation of nitrate-contaminated groundwater, Sci. Total Environ., 659, 211-220.

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.340
16

Gibert, O., Pomierny, S., Rowe, I., and Kalin, R.M., 2008, Selection of organic substrates as potential reactive materials for use in a denitrification permeable reactive barrier (PRB), Bioresour. Technol., 99(16), 7587-7596.

10.1016/j.biortech.2008.02.012
17

Gómez, M., Hontoria, E., and González-López, J., 2002, Effect of dissolved oxygen concentration on nitrate removal from groundwater using a denitrifying submerged filter, J. Hazard. Mater., 90(3), 267-278.

10.1016/S0304-3894(01)00353-3
18

Gonsalez, V.L., Dombrowski, P.M., Lee, M.D., and Ramsburg, C.A., 2023, The influence of pH on subsurface denitrification stimulated with emulsified vegetable oil, Water, 15(5), 883.

10.3390/w15050883
19

Halaburka, B.J., LeFevre, G.H., and Luthy, R.G., 2017, Evaluation of mechanistic models for nitrate removal in woodchip bioreactors, Environ. Sci. Technol., 51(9), 5156-5164.

10.1021/acs.est.7b01025
20

Halaburka, B.J., LeFevre, G.H., and Luthy, R.G., 2019, Quantifying the temperature dependence of nitrate reduction in woodchip bioreactors: experimental and modeled results with applied case-study, Environ. Sci. Water Res. Technol., 5(4), 782-797.

10.1039/C8EW00848E
21

Han, G.H. and Jeen, S.-W., 2025, Evaluation of reaction rates and isotopic fractionation during denitrification in organic-based permeable reactive barriers through column experiments, J. Soil Groundwater Environ., 30(6), 42-54.

22

Hiscock, K., Lloyd, J., and Lerner, D., 1991, Review of natural and artificial denitrification of groundwater, Water Res., 25(9), 1099-1111.

10.1016/0043-1354(91)90203-3
23

Hoover, N.L., Bhandari, A., Soupir, M.L., and Moorman, T.B., 2016, Woodchip denitrification bioreactors: Impact of temperature and hydraulic retention time on nitrate removal, J. Environ. Qual., 45(3), 803-812.

10.2134/jeq2015.03.0161
24

Israel, J.K., Zhang, Z., Sang, Y., McGuire, P.M., Steinschneider, S., and Reid, M.C., 2023, Climate change effects on denitrification performance of woodchip bioreactors treating agricultural tile drainage, Water Res., 242, 120202.

10.1016/j.watres.2023.120202
25

Jéglot, A., Sørensen, S.R., Schnorr, K.M., Plauborg, F., and Elsgaard, L., 2021, Temperature sensitivity and composition of nitrate-reducing microbiomes from a full-scale woodchip bioreactor treating agricultural drainage water, Microorganisms, 9(6), 1331.

10.3390/microorganisms906133134207422PMC8235139
26

Joo, W.-H. and Chang, Y.-Y., 2021, Field assessment of in situ remediation of NO3– contaminated ground water using zero-valent iron/bio composite media, J EIA, 30(1), 35-48.

10.14249/EIA.2021.30.1.35
27

Kang, J. and Jeen, S.-W., 2023, Ca-citrate as a reagent for simultaneous removal of nitrate and phosphate from groundwater and surface water, Environ. Earth Sci., 82(11), 270.

10.1007/s12665-023-10976-2
28

Korom, S.F., 1992, Natural denitrification in the saturated zone: a review, Water Resour. Res., 28(6), 1657-1668.

10.1029/92WR00252
29

Leifeld, J. and Fuhrer, J., 2005, The temperature response of CO2 production from bulk soils and soil fractions is related to soil organic matter quality, Biogeochemistry, 75(3), 433-453.

10.1007/s10533-005-2237-4
30

Liu, Y., Liu, Y., Ma, L., Gong, Y., and Qian, J., 2020, Corncob PRB for on-site nitrate removal in groundwater, Arabian J. Geosci., 13(20), 1084.

10.1007/s12517-020-06089-w
31

Liu, Y.-c., Fei, Y.-h., Li, Y.-s., Bao, X.-l., and Zhang, P.-w., 2024, Pollution source identification methods and remediation technologies of groundwater: A review, China Geol., 7(1), 125-137.

10.31035/cg2022080
32

Majumdar, D., 2003, The blue baby syndrome: nitrate poisoning in humans, Resonance, 8(10), 20-30.

10.1007/BF02840703
33

Maxwell, B.M., Diaz-Garcia, C., Martínez-Sánchez, J.J., Birgand, F., and Alvarez-Rogel, J., 2020, Temperature sensitivity of nitrate removal in woodchip bioreactors increases with woodchip age and following drying-rewetting cycles, Environ. Sci. Water Res. Technol., 6(10), 2752-2765.

10.1039/D0EW00507J
34

Moghaddam, R. and Christianson, L.E., 2025, Enhancing nitrate removal in denitrifying woodchip bioreactors: A comprehensive analysis of enhancement strategies and environmental trade-offs, J. Water Process Eng., 78, 108806.

10.1016/j.jwpe.2025.108806
35

Mundim, K.C., Baraldi, S., Machado, H.G., and Vieira, F.M., 2020, Temperature coefficient (Q10) and its applications in biological systems: Beyond the Arrhenius theory, Ecol. Modell., 431, 109127.

10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109127
36

Qu, W., Suo, L., Liu, R., Liu, M., Zhao, Y., Xia, L., Fan, Y., Zhang, Q., and Gao, Z., 2022, Influence of temperature on denitrification and microbial community structure and diversity: a laboratory study on nitrate removal from groundwater, Water, 14(3), 436.

10.3390/w14030436
37

Reyes, B.A., Pendergast, J.S., and Yamazaki, S., 2008, Mammalian peripheral circadian oscillators are temperature compensated, J. Biol. Rhythms, 23(1), 95-98.

10.1177/074873040731185518258762PMC2365757
38

Richard-Cerda, J.C., Bockstiegel, M., Muñoz-Vega, E., Knöller, K., Schüth, C., and Schulz, S., 2024, High-resolution monitoring and redox-potential-based solute transport modeling to partition denitrification pathways at an agricultural site, ACS ES&T Water, 4(11), 4917-4931.

10.1021/acsestwater.4c00540
39

Robertson, W.D., Vogan, J.L., and Lombardo, P.S., 2008, Nitrate removal rates in a 15-year-old permeable reactive barrier treating septic system nitrate, Groundwater Monit. R., 28(3), 65-72.

10.1111/j.1745-6592.2008.00205.x
40

Rust, C.M., Aelion, C.M., and Flora, J.R., 2000, Control of pH during denitrification in subsurface sediment microcosms using encapsulated phosphate buffer, Water Res., 34(5), 1447-1454.

10.1016/S0043-1354(99)00287-0
41

Sánchez Hidalgo, G.C., Ábrego-Bonilla, J., Deago, E., and Ortega Del Rosario, M.D.L.A., 2025, Global perspectives on groundwater decontamination: Advances and challenges of the role of permeable reactive barriers, Hydrology, 12(4), 98.

10.3390/hydrology12040098
42

Schaefer, A., Werning, K., Hoover, N., Tschirner, U., Feyereisen, G., Moorman, T.B., Howe, A.C., and Soupir, M.L., 2021, Impact of flow on woodchip properties and subsidence in denitrifying bioreactors, Agrosyst. Geosci. Environ., 4(1), e20149.

10.1002/agg2.20149
43

Schipper, L.A., Robertson, W.D., Gold, A.J., Jaynes, D.B., and Cameron, S.C., 2010, Denitrifying bioreactors—An approach for reducing nitrate loads to receiving waters, Ecol. Eng., 36(11), 1532-1543.

10.1016/j.ecoleng.2010.04.008
44

Schmidt, C.A. and Clark, M.W., 2013, Deciphering and modeling the physicochemical drivers of denitrification rates in bioreactors, Ecol. Eng., 60, 276-288.

10.1016/j.ecoleng.2013.07.041
45

Skinner, S.J. and Schutte, C.F., 2006, The feasibility of a permeable reactive barrier to treat acidic sulphate-and nitrate-contaminated groundwater, Water SA, 32(2), 129-135.

10.4314/wsa.v32i2.5253
46

Volokita, M., Belkin, S., Abeliovich, A., and Soares, M.I.M., 1996, Biological denitrification of drinking water using newspaper, Water Res., 30(4), 965-971.

10.1016/0043-1354(95)00242-1
47

Warneke, S., Schipper, L.A., Bruesewitz, D.A., McDonald, I., and Cameron, S., 2011, Rates, controls and potential adverse effects of nitrate removal in a denitrification bed, Ecol. Eng., 37(3), 511-522.

10.1016/j.ecoleng.2010.12.006
48

World Health Organization, 2022, Guidelines for drinking-water quality: fourth edition incorporating the first and second addenda, World Health Organization.

49

Zhang, W., Shan, N., Bai, Y., and Yin, L., 2020, The innovative application of agriculture straw in in situ field permeable reactive barrier for remediating nitrate-contaminated groundwater in grain-production areas, Biochem. Eng. J., 164, 107755.

10.1016/j.bej.2020.107755
Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국지하수토양환경학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
  • Journal Title(Ko) :지하수토양환경
  • Volume : 31
  • No :4
  • Pages :37-50
  • Received Date : 2026-07-13
  • Revised Date : 2026-07-29
  • Accepted Date : 2026-08-06
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7857/JSGE.2026.31.4.037
Journal Informaiton Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
Online Submission
  • KOFST
  • KISTI Current Status
  • KISTI Cited-by
  • orcid
  • open access
  • ccl
Journal Informaiton Journal Informaiton - close