Résumé
Water scarcity is a pressing global concern exacerbated by population increase and the adverse impacts of climate change. Declining water resources require immediate attention, particularly in the context of depleting aquifer levels. Managed aquifers recharge has emerged as a critical strategy to sustain water availability. However, the use of treated water from wastewater treatment plants for aquifer recharge requires additional treatments due to the presence of emerging contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products.This study focuses on enhancing the efficiency of aquifer recharge by employing reactive barriers, which serve as a final treatment step for water infiltrating aquifers. To evaluate the effectiveness of these barriers, laboratory experiments were conducted using column setups that mimic reactive barriers. Over a three-month period, treated wastewater from a sewage treatment plant was injected through a sand column (representing conventional aquifer conditions) and a barrier column composed of a mixture of natural materials, including compost, sand, and wood. Afterwards for 11 days a rain simulation was performed to evaluate the desorption of the contaminant. At the end of the experiment a solid phase extraction was accomplished on the reactive barrier. The results reveal that certain molecules, notably venlafaxine and metoprolol, exhibit significant retention in the barrier columns and weak desorption, highlighting the efficacy of the barrier. Conversely, some molecules, such as irbesartan, show partial retention in both media. This study comprehensively presents the spectrum of molecules tracked during the experiment, along with associated sorption and degradation models. The discussion focuses on the effectiveness of the barrier in dealing with the fate of emerging contaminants, highlighting the importance of such strategies in water resource management.