Research on the remediation effectiveness of circulating well-enhanced electrokinetic technology for copper-contaminated groundwater

Copper is a common heavy metal contaminant in groundwater, posing significant threats to human health and ecological environmental protection. This study used quartz sand to simulate a copper-contaminated aquifer. Electrodes were placed before and after the inner pipe of a groundwater circulation well to construct a groundwater circulation well–enhanced electrokinetic remediation (GCW–EKR) system. The system was compared with single electrokinetic remediation to evaluate its effectiveness in the remediation of copper-contaminated groundwater. Results demonstrated that after 168 hours of operation, the average copper removal efficiency of the GCW-enhanced electrokinetic remediation technique reached 84.80%, whereas the removal efficiency of single electrokinetic remediation without GCW enhancement was only 29.60%. The hydraulic circulation induced by aeration in the groundwater circulation well effectively overcame the inherent mass transfer limitations of electrokinetic remediation, expanded its radius of influence, and provided technical support for applying the GCW–EKR approach to address heavy metal contamination in groundwater.