Remediation Experience
BIOREMEDIATION CLEANUP OF BTEX AND TCE DISPOSAL SITE
Approximately 500 CY of soil was contaminated by disposal of inks and solvents at a printing operation. The constituents of concern were ethylbenzene, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, toluene, xylene and lead, totaling over 600 ppm in the soil. A bioremediation system was designed to remove the organic constituents and a stabilization system was designed to fix the lead.
Due to the limited area available for operations, a 2,500 square foot lined bioremediation plot was designed and constructed. Soil moisture control was simplified by constructing a temporary roof over the treatment pad. Nutrients and microbes acclimated to chlorinated solvents were mixed into the soils placed on the treatment pad. Soils were aerated by tilling once or twice per week. Approximately 15 CY per week was treated. BTEX removal was over 97 percent.
Lead in the soil was fixed by solidifying the biodegraded soil with portland cement. Sodium sulfide was used to first convert the lead to the insoluble sulfide form prior to solidification. Leachable lead was non-detectable after treatment. A Corrective Action Plan (CAP) using In-situ groundwater treatment was also designed and installed. The groundwater was treated to background and corrective action was completed.
BIOREMEDIATION OF CREOSOTE CONTAMINATED SOIL
A 250 ft x 100 ft process area contaminated to a depth of 10 feet was proposed for bioremediation. Bioremediation studies were designed to optimize the organisms, emulsifiers and nutrients to dosages for degradation of cyclical aromatics. A remediation plan was developed to excavate the contaminated soils and place them in a covered treatment cell for bioremediation. Contamination ranges up to 30,000 mg/kg of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. Degradation to less than 100 mg/kg was the clean-up target. Phoenix was responsible for investigating the extent of contamination; developing the clean-up strategy; preparation of work plans for regulatory approvals; and planning excavation, construction of treatment cells, and degradation of the soils.
CLOSURE AND REMEDIATION OF INCINERATOR PAD
Phoenix assisted in investigating and removing associated contamination from a process area in a specialty chemical manufacturing plant. The area was formerly an incinerator/fume oxidizer (with a scrubber) used to dispose of hydrogen sulfide and organic solvent laden wastes. A cooling tower was used to recover the water. Cooled flue gas was directed to an absorber column where it reacted with a caustic solution to form an industrial grade of sodium hydrobisulfite solution. The foundation pad for the process unit was a concrete area roughly 60' x 40'. Phoenix developed a soil sampling work plan to determine the extent of soil contamination and performed the sampling investigation. Soils beneath the pad were contaminated with barium, chromium, lead, molybdenum, and trace amounts of miscellaneous volatile organic compounds.
Phoenix developed a plan for removal of the old unit, the foundation and the contaminated soils beneath. The Clean-up Plan was reviewed and approved by the State Division of Waste Management. Phoenix oversaw the execution of the plan and collected samples to demonstrate clean-closure. Contaminated materials, including the former associated unit process equipment, were removed and disposed off-site.
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