You are here:
SITE CHARACTERIZATION AND THERMAL REMEDIATION TREATABILITY STUDIES FOR TWO WOOD TREATER SITES
Citation:
Davis*, E L. SITE CHARACTERIZATION AND THERMAL REMEDIATION TREATABILITY STUDIES FOR TWO WOOD TREATER SITES. Presented at 17th Annual International Conference on Contaminated Soils, Sediments and Water, U. of Mass, Amherst, MA, 10/22-25/01.
Description:
Assessment of the applicability of thermal remediation at two wood treater sites is ongoing. The two wood treaters had been in operation for 50 to 80 years, and a variety of wood treating chemicals had been employed, including creosote, pentachlorophenol, and various metal preparations. Creosote was commonly spilled to the ground at the completion of the wood treatment process, and waste products were disposed by burial into unlined pits. The first step in assessing the applicability of steam remediation is to determine the extent and distribution of contaminants in the subsurface and the stratigraphy. Using innovative site characterization techniques and a dynamic work plan, the extent of the nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPL) and pentachlorophenol in the subsurface was determined. SCAPS CPT/LIF data provided most of the geologic and creosote and petroleum hydrocarbon distribution information, while geoprobe and rotosonic cores were collected for characterization purposes in areas inaccessible to SCAPS. Creosote NAPL was found to have penetrated through low permeability layers at both sites and are threatening potential drinking water aquifers. Pentachlorophenol and its carriers have also been found at significant depths below the water table. Contaminant distribution found in the field and the results of laboratory tests were used to determine the important transport mechanisms for the various contaminants. Treatability studies for the thermal remediation of these sites have been used to study PAH recovery and the effects of steam injection on metals mobility. Preliminary data indicates that dioxins and furans present in these soils may be dechlorinated under the conditions present during a steam injection. Microcosm studies indicate that some contaminants may be oxidized by biological and/or thermophysical means during and after steam injection.