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DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: GRACE DEARBORN INC. DARAMEND™ BIOREMEDIATION TECHNOLOGY
Citation:
U.S. EPA. DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: GRACE DEARBORN INC. DARAMEND™ BIOREMEDIATION TECHNOLOGY. EPA/540/MR-95/536, 1997.
Impact/Purpose:
information
Description:
The DARAMEND™ Bioremediation Technology may be applied to the remediation of soils and sediments contaminated by a wide variety of organic contaminants including chlorinated phenols, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and petroleum hydrocarbons. The technology may be applied ex situ to sediment and soil and in situ to near surface soils. The DARAMEND™ technology stimulates indigenous soil microorganisms to accelerate the degradation and destruction of soil contaminants. The process consists of three integrated treatment components: 1) amendment addition, 2) specialized tilling, and 3) water irrigation. The technology is based upon the addition of solid phase organic amendments of a specific particle size distribution. These amendments are supplemented with controlled released macronutrients and trace elements. The amendments increase the ability of the soil matrix to supply biologically available water and nutrients, to stimulate indigenous contaminant-degrading soil microorganisms. The amendments also bind contaminants to reduce the acute toxicity of the soil's aqueous phase, thereby allowing microorganisms to survive in soil containing very high concentrations of contaminants. The volume of amendments added varies between 1% and 5% of the total weight of the soil. In some cases amendment(s) are added oniy in the beginning of the treatment process, however sometimes 10% of the original amount of amendment(s) is added midway or near the end of treatment depending on analytical results. The type, volume, and frequency of amendment(s) addition is determined through treatabiiity and pilot-scale studies.