Natural and Enhanced Remediation Systems PDF
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NATURAL and ENHANCED REMEDIATION SYSTEMS L1282_fm_frame Page 2 Monday, June 18, 2001 10:20 AM NATURAL and ENHANCED REMEDIATION SYSTEMS Suthan S. Suthersan LEWIS PUBLISHERS Boca Raton London New York Washington, D.C. CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300 Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742 © 2001 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business No claim to original U.S. Government works Version Date: 20120710 International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-4200-3306-9 (eBook - PDF) This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. 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L1282_fm_frame Page 6 Monday, June 18, 2001 10:20 AM L1282_fm_frame Page 7 Tuesday, June 19, 2001 12:56 PM Foreword I have worked with Dr. Suthersan for the past 13 years and have seen firsthand the impact he has had on the evolution of our business. Over this period, environ- mental remediation has moved from a world of standard operation and application of proven technology to one where more innovative concepts can be applied, tested, and developed for the benefit of the environment, the regulatory community, and industry. Dr. Suthersan has worked assiduously to develop new remediation tech- nologies, move them to pilot testing in cooperation with industry, and make them demonstrated techniques. As our industry has matured, the pressures on all parties have increased: pressure to assure protection of human health and the environment, to remediate faster, to rapidly return sites to beneficial use, to reduce costs, etc. Finding a solution to these competing objectives has become more and more intricate and must include the impacts of social, economic, business, and environmental factors. Dr. Suthersan is one of the most talented purveyors of remediation technology as a tool to solve these complex problems in a world where competing priorities are the rule not the excep- tion. The author has focused on finding these total business solutions for our industry, using the innovative technical solutions he or others have created. Finding total business solutions to multifaceted environmental problems is one of the hallmarks of Dr. Suthersan’s career. In this book, Dr. Suthersan explains some of the pioneering remediation tech- nologies developed over the past few years. The focus is on those techniques that modify or enhance the natural environment to aid in the remediation of contaminants. When applied correctly, these engineered, natural systems have proven to be more efficient and cost effective than their more intrusive predecessors. Assuring that these techniques are applied correctly and tailored to each particular setting is a key component of any system’s success. The impact of biological, chemical, and hydro- geologic settings on these technologies is thoroughly discussed. Dr. Suthersan describes each technique in detail: its processes, the science behind it, its application, and the constraints. This book will be an invaluable resource to the practicing remediation engineer, the regulatory community charged with evaluating these tech- niques, and the industry applying them. It has been a privilege to have worked with Dr. Suthersan for these past years and to have seen the influence of his knowledge and skill in our industry. I believe that those who read this book will gain from his wisdom. Steve Blake Executive Board, ARCADIS, N.V. Denver, Colorado L1282_fm_frame Page 8 Monday, June 18, 2001 10:20 AM L1282_fm_frame Page 9 Monday, June 18, 2001 10:20 AM Preface Remediation of hazardous wastes present in the subsurface has evolved with time and has been influenced by various factors over the years. During the early years, direction and efforts were mostly influenced by the regulations in place and the need for compliance and protection of human health and environment. The contaminants primarily focused upon during this time were the petroleum-related contaminants stemming from leaking underground storage tanks (USTs). In later years, remediation efforts were driven by a combination of economic and regulatory factors. During this time contaminants that caught most of the atten- tion were the chlorinated solvents, heavy metals, and chlorinated and nonchlorinated polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The current focus seems to be taking a different direction: instead of focusing on the type of contaminants, emphasis is on evaluating the damage to the environment (and thus the risk) and repairing that damage in a cost-effective manner. Evolution of remediation technologies was influenced not only by changing regulatory and economic factors, but also by the type and chemical characteristics of contaminants under focus. An example is the shift in emphasis from engineered aerobic bioremediation systems of the 1980s to engineered anaerobic bioremediation systems of the 1990s. Significant reliance and dependence on natural remediation systems have increased as a result of recent acceptance that landfills behave as bioreactors and the very recent focus on dealing with ecological risks and natural resources damage (NRD) assessments. Ever increasing understanding of the behav- ior of most contaminants in the natural environment has also led to the effort of maximizing the remediation potential of natural systems. The thematic focus of this book is to highlight the current phase in the evolution of remediation technologies. All the technologies discussed in the book utilize or enhance the natural biogeochemical environment for remediation of hazardous con- taminants. The discussion throughout the book is focused towards helping practitioners of remediation to engineer remediation systems utilizing the natural environment. These natural systems or reactors still have to be properly designed and engineered to optimize the performance and maximize contaminant removal efficiencies. The basic understanding of environmental and contaminant characteristics required to design these systems is provided in Chapter 2. I had just coined the phrase “in situ reactive zones (IRZ)” when I wrote my previous book in 1996 and was able to provide only an introduction of the technology. I have made a signif- icant effort in Chapter 4 to describe the IRZ technology and its various modified applications. The manner in which the application of this technology is exploding may justify a book of its own. I am proud to see the advances and expansion of this technology pioneered by my colleagues and me at ARCADIS G & M, Inc. Due to the shortage of space I could not present data from all the successful sites using this technology. Technical advances and theoretical insights on the applica- tion of in situ chemical oxidation are also presented in Chapter 4 (special thanks to Dr. Fred Payne).
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