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IN SITU TREATMENT OF CHLORINATED VOLATILE ORGANIC HYDROCARBONS BY FRACTURE-EMPLACEMENT OF A MICRO-IRON/CARBON AMENDMENTSkog, J., D. Swift, J. Rothermel, R. Starr, G.H. Bures, and J. Moreno. REMTECH 2009: The Remediation Technologies Symposium, Banff, AB, Canada, 14-16 Oct 2009. Environmental Services Association of Alberta, Edmonton, AB (Canada), 25 slides, 2009
An in situ pilot remediation project was carried out on behalf of the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers (Omaha District) at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in
Colorado. The pilot featured an innovative application of drilling, fracture
emplacement, treatment, and geophysical technologies to mitigate impacts from
chlorinated solvents. The former missile site complex is underlain by silty
sandstone bedrock sediments affected by trichloroethene (TCE) >2,000 ug/L and
associated VOCs. Pilot tests of biotic and abiotic in situ chemical reduction
(ISCR) were conducted to evaluate technology performance prior to developing
the proposed remedy. Two pilot test areas (source area and dissolved plume)
were selected to evaluate ISCR for reducing TCE concentrations to less than
maximum contaminant levels. The pilot involved the emplacement of over 100
tons of EHC(tm), a micro-iron/complex-carbon treatment amendment, into deep
bedrock sediments to attain optimal distribution throughout the contaminant
plume, including beneath the former Launch and Service Building. A total of
206,000 lb of EHC(tm) was emplaced at 9 locations within the test areas.
Hydraulic fracturing was conducted in redrilled boreholes to deliver the
amendment slurry at 5-ft increments between depths of 35 to 55 ft in bedrock.
Between 6,000 and 32,000 lb of the amendment was emplaced at each borehole in
a biodegradable, linear protein gel slurry that carried the amendment in a
uniform suspension. Up to 6,400 lb of EHC(tm) was delivered into each
fracture. Tiltmeter geophysics was used to verify the final distribution and
geometric configuration of the micro-iron fractures. Field observations and
tilt response showed that the radius of fracture emplacement in the bedrock
was up to 60 ft, with a typical fracture overlap of 30 to 50%. Following
placement of the amendment, physical, chemical, and microbiological processes
combined to create very strong reducing conditions that stimulated chemical
and microbiological dehalogenation of the contaminants. Groundwater quality
monitoring is underway to evaluate groundwater redox conditions, EHC(tm)
longevity, geochemical parameters, contaminant and degradation byproducts, and
microbial quantification of Dehalococcoides to determine the viability of the
native microbial populations and evaluate whether bioaugmentation is
warranted. http://www.remtech2008.com/remtech/2009/pdf/09-Bures.pdf
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contact Michael Adam of the U.S. EPA Office of Superfund Remediation
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