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PERFORMANCE OF CONVENTIONAL REMEDIAL TECHNOLOGY FOR TREATMENT OF MTBE AND BENZENE AT UST SITES IN KANSAS
Citation:
Hatton, G., B. H. Wilson, AND J T. Wilson*. PERFORMANCE OF CONVENTIONAL REMEDIAL TECHNOLOGY FOR TREATMENT OF MTBE AND BENZENE AT UST SITES IN KANSAS. Remediation Journal. John Wiley & Sons Incorporated, New York, NY, 14(1):85-94, (2003).
Description:
Ground water at most UST spills sites in Kansas contains both MTBE and benzene, and both contaminants must be effectively treated to close the sites. Soil vacuum extraction, air sparging, and excavation are the most common treatment technologies in Kansas. To compare the relative performance of these conventional remedial technologies for treating MTBE as compared to benzene, the 166 sites in the Kansas UST trust fund were screened for sites that had initial concentrations of both MTBE and benzene above the reporting limit of 1 lg/L, and that had at least two rounds of analytical data. Wells were rejected from the analysis if they had free product. Of 166 sites reviewed, 66 sites met the criteria above. Sixteen of the sites have been closed or are ready to close. Of the 66 sites, 15 had met the clean-up goal for benzene, and 50 had met the goal for MTBE. The extent of treatment (C/Co) was greater for MTBE (significant at p = 0.032). The geometric mean of the extent of treatment was 0.057 for MTBE, compared to 0.14 for benzene. In Kansas, conventional technology removed MTBE from the source areas of ground water plumes at least as effectively as they removed benzene.