The valorization of industrial wastes is nowadays a worldwide challenge that offers several environmental and social interests. In some fields this valorization allows the preservation of natural resources and the releasing of spaces devoted to the wastes storage. Further, it allows developing of new innovative materials and low-cost products. Consequently industries industries have followed these guidelines. A collaborative investigation has been established with Solvay and Ecole Centrale de Lille in order to work on this topic.A new material: hydroxyapatite gel, is thus developed from non-toxic wastes in an industrial research laboratory. This material is composed by hydroxyapatite and water. It is characterized by its capacity to retain heavy metal by ion exchange. This particular characteristic led to consider its valorization in the water pollution control as the permeable reactive barrier (PRB) in particular. In deed, the permeable reactive barrier is a passive technique of in situ groundwater treatment.The results from this study were useful for a better planning of Permeable Reactive Barriers (PRB). The latter requires a high permeability to ensure groundwater flow and a high retention capacity for heavy metals
