Grantee Research Project Results
Reclamation of Soils and Soil Leachates Contaminated with Heavy Metals
EPA Contract Number: 68D00055Title: Reclamation of Soils and Soil Leachates Contaminated with Heavy Metals
Investigators: Hosea, James Michael
Small Business: Bio-Recovery Systems Inc.
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: September 1, 1990 through April 1, 1991
Project Amount: $49,924
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (1990) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Hazardous Waste/Remediation , SBIR - Waste , Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
Description:
Soil washing or flushing has been shown to be an effective method for removing heavy metals from metal-contaminated soils at Superfund sites. Sandy soils can often be washed with water to mobilize metal ions in an aqueous phase, but for clay soils or soils which contain insoluble metal com- pounds, e.g., lead sulfate, other additives such as chelating agents (EDTA) are used to effect transfer of metal ions to the aqueous phase. EDTA, however, complexes with in- nocuous metal ions (calcium, magnesium, iron), and EDTA- heavy metal complexes are difficult to remove from the aqueous phase. Bio-Recovery Systems has developed a proprietary process to circumvent these difficulties using a chelating agent (MLA) which has little or no affinity for innocuous metal ions and which has a higher affinity for many toxic metal ions than does EDTA. Furthermore, the heavy metal-MLA complexes can be removed from the aqueous phase by sorption on AlgaSORBTM resins, a pro- prietary biomass developed by Bio-Recovery. Thus, the use of MLA as a soil washing agent and the use of AlgaSORBTM will be tested to recover the MLA metal ion complexes in order to ascertain if this approach will yield a more cost effective treatment for metal-contaminated soils at Super- fund sites than current methods.Since simple water washes have been effective for mobill- zation of metals in sandy soils, solutions resulting from simple water washing will be treated with AlgaSORBTM to determine metal removal efficiency.
Supplemental Keywords:
RFA, Scientific Discipline, Waste, Hazardous, Remediation, Chemical Engineering, Engineering, Civil Engineering, Civil/Environmental Engineering, Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Chemistry and Materials Science, Hazardous Waste, Environmental Engineering, heavy metals, soil, soil leachate, contaminated soil, metals-contaminated soil, soil extraction, metal recovery, soil reclamation , metals removalProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.