Fundamentals of Hazardous Waste Site Remediation

Kathleen Sellers

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• eBook ISBN:
  9781351446532
• Subtopic: Environmental Management
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Every practicing environmental engineer should already have a firm grasp on the basics of hazardous waste site remediation-the key to confronting a site problem, and devising an effective solution. Since their original introduction to remediation, technology has kept moving ahead with new ideas and procedures. Fundamentals of Hazardous Waste Site Remediation gives environmental professionals immediate access to the basics of the trade, along with information about recent advancements. This comprehensive overview examines the basics of such areas as hazardous materials chemistry, hydrogeology, reaction engineering, and clean-up level development. A chapter on Cost Estimating will be of particular interest to specialists, in light of recent concerns about the increased costs of remediation. After reading each chapter, test your new knowledge with the review problems. As a refresher guide for career environmental engineers, or a helpful tool to newcomers in the field, Fundamentals of Hazardous Waste Site Remediation is a valuable resource for longtime professionals and newcomers alike.

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

1.1 ACE SOLVENT RECOVERY FACILITY

Consider the Ace Solvent Recovery (ASR) facility.* Between 1974 and 1990 the facility accepted waste solvents for reclamation. The facility had interim status under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), but never received a final Part B permit. In 1990, the facility lost interim status due to the failure to obtain required insurance policies or alternative forms of liability coverage. Shortly thereafter, the owner/operator declared bankruptcy and abandoned the facility. The owner/operator cannot be located.

In 1990, the state environmental agency removed drums and tanks of waste solvents from the site. The removal action also included decontamination of the building and removal of trash and debris from the site. The agency began a site investigation in the late 1990s. The results of that investigation are summarized below.

1.1.1 Former Operations

ASR accepted waste solvents, primarily tetrachloroethylene (also known as per-chloroethylene, or PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE). The facility stored waste solvents in tanks and drums on concrete pads in an area west of the office/warehouse building (see Figure 1.1). These solvents were pumped through above-ground lines to stills located in the same area. Distilled solvents were collected in tanks and drums for off-site shipment. Still bottoms were often incinerated; they were occasionally disposed of in a shallow lagoon near the western edge of the property. According to a former employee, the lagoon was backfilled in the early 1980s.

For a short period in the early 1970s, ASR also accepted used transformers. According to a former employee, these transformers were stored on open ground to the south of the building (see Figure 1.1). When the transformers were stripped to recover the metals, the transformer oils were simply drained onto the ground.

Figure 1.1 Site plan, Ace Solvent Recovery facility.

1.1.2 Scope of the Site Investigation

As shown on Figure 1.2, 35 borings were installed on the site, 7 of which were completed as monitoring wells. Two additional wells were installed off-site.

Soil samples were collected from the unsaturated zone and analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), metals, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Soil samples were also tested using the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP).

Groundwater samples collected from the monitoring wells were analyzed for VOCs, SVOCs, metals, and PCBs. Samples were also analyzed for conventional wastewater parameters used to evaluate and design groundwater treatment systems. Pumping tests were performed in selected wells.

Figure 1.2 Locations of borings and monitoring wells, Ace Solvent Recovery facility.

1.1.3 Resu...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Acknowledgments
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Basic Principles
• 3 Groundwater Remediation
• 4 Soil Remediation
• 5 Solutions
• Index