INNOVATIVE & INTEGRATED APPROACH TO HEAVY METAL REMEDIATION H2O 2014 Shanghai November 14, 2014
Agenda Overview Goals and Objectives Remediation Approach
Overview China’s fast socio-economic development since the 1980s capital and resource-intensive – negative environmental and health impacts tough challengeS - natural resource depletion, pollution and environmental degradation Rapid urbanization in recent years has resulted in the need to redevelop industrial land once occupied – and contaminated – by old industries, which have helped bring the issue of the remediation and redevelopment of contaminated lands (often referred to as brownfields) to the forefront Brownfields pose two categories of problems: environmental and public health risks obstacles to urban and local economy development, particularly if ultimately they remain unused.
COMMON Contaminants: Heavy metals Organic contaminants Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) Environmental and health risks: Soil Groundwater Surface hazards Ongoing liability
Heavy metals sources Exposure pathways iNDUSTRIAL waste AGRICULTURAL – bad fertilizer Mining – acid mine drainage Exposure pathways Airborne emissions Waste disposal Wastewater discharge Sludge deposits Soil contamination at manufacturing sites Groundwater pollution through infiltration of pollutants
Goals Integrated technical framework Pollution management Reduce public exposure to contaminated land Sustainable natural resource management Safe redevelopment
Objectives (Brownfield Site) Demolition of structures at remediation sites Construction of remediation infrastructure Access roads Water management Soil and groundwater cleanup Treat soil and sediments Close dump site Remove and dispose of industrial waste
Future Land Use considerations Industrial & manufacturing facility Government complexes residential Commercial Recreational activities Eco-park Constructed lake/wetland area
Project Team Easen – Specializes in soil, water, mine, and industrial waste remediation. Easen offers a complete spectrum of services from site characterization through in situ and ex situ application of remediation technologies. EnviroLogek - Specializes in the development and application of environmental investigation and remediation technologies on five continents since 1998. ReSolution Partners – Specializes in remediation design and the development of treatment technologies for heavy metals and organic compounds since 1994.
Team Capabilities Site characterization/investigation Remediation design Creative remedial options Focus on sustainable solutions Integrate remediation with redevelopment Cost-effective remedies Regulatory goals and appropriate test methods Treatability studies Reagent supply Infrastructure Implementation of selected remedies Site closure
High Resolution Site Characterization Technology (HRSC) Quickly Identify Contaminant Mass Location Vertically & Horizontally Identify Contaminant Mass Location in Reference to Subsurface Lithology Define Subsurface Lithology in Relation to Optimal Application & Injection Hydraulics Membrane interface probe Hydraulic profiling tool Ultra-violet optical screening tool
Typical Test Methods - Metals Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure (SPLP) Site-specific leaching procedures (SSLP with groundwater, waste water) Multiple Extraction Procedure (MEP) Physiologically Based Extraction Test (PBET) familiar with test methods in China and has performed treatability studies on China soils.
Treatment Options - Soil Bioremediation (organics) Chemical oxidation (organics) Soil washing (organics & inorganics) Solidification (heavy metals and organics) Stabilization (heavy metals) Thermal desorption (organics)
Treatment Options - Groundwater Bioremediation for organics Pump & treat for control of dissolved metal and organic contaminants Permeable reactive barriers (containment) Iron Zeolite / Ion exchange Reagent injection Stabilization of metals Oxidation of organic compounds Zero valent iron
CHEMICAL REAGENT TECHNOLOGY IS A COMBINATION OF AN ENGINEERED SOLUTION, APPLICATION KNOW-HOW AND UNIQUE REAGENTS SPECIALLY FORMULATED BASED ON WASTE PROFILE ADDED TO METAL-LADEN SOIL AS POWDER OR INTO THE GROUND AS A SLURRY SOLUTION SEQUESTERED WITHIN THE FINE PARTICLES OF THE PRODUCT AS INSOLUBLE MINERALS NEUTRALIZES ACIDITY TRAPPED BY ADSORPTION - HIGH SURFACE-TO-VOLUME RATIO AND A HIGH CHARGE-TO-MASS RATIO PRECIPITATION, CO- PRECIPITATION, AND ISOMORPHOUS SUBSTITUTION REACTIONS (I.E., INCREASINGLY FORMED BY RECRYSTALLISATION PROCESSES).
Implementation Methods Reagents can be applied in situ or ex situ in Injection Mechanical mixing Trenching (Permeable reactive barriers) Reagents can be applied in situ or ex situ in Dry, granular form As a solution, or slurry
IN-SITU REAGENT DELIVERY HIGH-PRESSURE INJECTION VIA DIRECT PUSH METHODOLOGY INJECTION PARAMETERS: CONCENTRATION OF CONTAMINANT(S) IN SOIL (MG/KG) & GROUNDWATER SOIL POROSITY & HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY VOLUME OF WASTE TO BE TREATED - LITRES OF WATER AND M3 OF SOIL TO BE TREATED TOTAL ACTUAL ACIDITY (TAA) AND TOTAL POTENTIAL ACIDITY (TPA) CONFIDENCE FACTOR (E.G., CONTAMINANTS, LITHOLOGY, HYDROGEOLOGY, DISTRIBUTION FACTORS, CONTACT TIME AND DELIVERY METHODS) TOTAL REAGENT VOLUME TO BE APPLIED
Engineering Control For Optimal Injection Pressure Q/A=Keffective (Pinjection-ρwater gh)/h Where: Q/A = the flow rate applied over the area of the expanding mound. Vertical flow ceases as the mound height (h) reaches the pressure limit or the selected “not to exceed” injection pressure. Keffective= Vertical Hydraulic conductivity Pinjection = 60% of the allowable injection pressureρwater = Density of water g = Gravitational acceleration h = mound height above water table
Soil Washing Fast, high throughput soil remediation and soil recycling Matrix Enhanced Treatment: able to treat up to 150 different contaminants Wet Extraction Source Treatment: able to treat moisture rich soils including clays, sediments and drill cuttings Works with a wide variety of reagents, surfactants, oxidants Mobile units capable of treating 40 to 320 tons/hour
Self propelled mobile soil washing plant Multiple fluid injection capability High volume fixed soil washing plant
Sustainable Remediation Alternative - Metals Traditional Approach Sustainable Alternative Excavation of metals- contaminated soil from site Backfill site with clean fill Dispose as hazardous waste Haul hazardous materials to limited landfill locations (increased carbon footprint) Chemically stabilize metals to render non-hazardous Potentially reuse stabilized soil Dispose as non-haz material More disposal options locally for solid waste management (non-hazardous)
Comparing Options: 1. Off-Site Hazardous Waste Metals in soil that exceed a regulatory limit High cost management option Readily accepted by regulators Limited disposal locations
Comparing Options: 2. Off-Site Non-Hazardous Waste Stabilized soil removes leaching concerns 10-40% lower cost (US) than haz waste disposal Expanded disposal location options Reduced transportation liability
Comparing Options: 3. On-Site Soil Management 20-50% lower cost (US) than solid waste management Recycle/Reuse soil (no backfill) Greater project design flexibility
What is metals stabilization? Add reagents to form minerals in soil and aquifers to reduce: Leaching from soil Groundwater concentrations Toxicity Reagents are typically: Common agricultural and industrial products Pose little to no hazard to the environment
Stabilization Reagent Examples - Metals Phosphates: mineral formation (Pb) Iron: adsorption (As), co-precipitation (As, Ni), reduction (Cr) Sulfide: mineral formation (Hg, As, Pb), reduction (Cr) pH: mineral formation, adsorption (Pb, Cd) Biological/carbon: reduction, adsorption (Cr, As, Se) Proprietary reagents typically based on above, singly or in combination.
Case Study - Demonstration Project, Changsha Site, April 2014 Leachable chromium concentration reduced from 3.79 to trace level in 24 hours after treatment
Remediation Approach Review available site data Discuss specifics of future land use Integrate information into preliminary remediation design Develop site characterization/investigation workplan that supports project goals
Remediation Approach (cont.) Implement site investigation Perform treatability study Summarize preliminary results Discuss remediation goals and test methods Finalize treatment program Prepare findings and conclusions for review of remedial options Finalize remediation design and workplan Implement approved remediation workplan
Remedy Design Considerations Remediation goals Stabilization/treatment design Site characterization Treatability studies End use evaluation Exposure risks Cost implications
Site Design Goals 5-10 different remediation models/approaches Tailored remediation to specific site characteristics Flexibility to change from one remediation and restoration approach to another based on future land use
Fully-Integrated Project Team Site Characterization Remediation Design Treatability Studies Treatment Reagents/Methods Turn-key Implementation