Soil & Groundwater Remediation

activated carbon

One remediation technology is based on ___, it involves ___ based amendments for in situ remediation of soil and groundwater, which can remove contaminants through adsorption by ___ and degradation by reactive amendments.

bioreactor

____ landfills rapidly transform, degrade and stabilize organic waste through the addition of liquid and air enhance microbial processes

bioremediation

Using microorganisms to degrade organic contaminants in soil, groundwater, sludge and solids. The microorganisms break down contaminants by using them as an energy source or cometabolizing them with an energy source

chemical oxidation

in situ ___ typically involves reduction/oxidation (redox) reactions that chemically convert hazardous compounds to nonhazardous or less toxic compounds that are more stable, less mobile or inert

chemical reduction

in situ ___ immobilizes metals by adsorption or precipitation and degrades non-metallic oxyanions by placing a reductant or reductant generating material in the subsurface to degrade toxic organic compounds

flushing

in situ ___ floods a zone of contamination with an appropriate solution to remove the contaminant from the soil. Contaminants are mobilized by solubilization, formation of emulsions or a chemical reaction with the flushing solutions and brought to the surface for disposal, recirculation or on-site treatment and reinjection

natural

___ attenuation occurs at most polluted sites. However, the right conditions must exist underground to clean sites properly. It relies on ____ processes to clean up or attenuate pollution in soil and groundwater.

permeable

Subsurface emplacements of reactive materials through which a dissolved contaminant plume must move as it flows, typically under natural gradient. Treated water exits the other side of the ____ reactive barrier

phytotechnologies

Broadly defined as the use of vegetation to address contaminants in soil, sediment, surface water and groundwater. Cleanup objectives for ____ can be contaminant removal and destruction, control and containment or both

vapor extraction

soil ___ applies a vacuum to unsaturated zone soil to induce the controlled flow of air and remove volatile and some semi-volatile organic contaminants from the soil

washing

Soil ____ separates contaminants sorbed onto fine soil particles from bulk soil in a water-based system based on particle size. Soils and wash water are mixed in a tank or other treatment unit and usually separated using gravity settling

solidification

____ and stabilization encapsulates waste to form a solid material, coat the waste with low-permeability materials to restrict contaminant migration or both. _____ can be accomplished by mechanical processes or by a chemical reaction between a waste and binding reagents, such as cement, kiln dust, or lime/fly ash

solvent extraction

Using an organic solvent to separate organic and metal contaminants from soil. The solvent is mixed with contaminated soil in ____ unit and then passed through a separator, where the contaminants and extractants are separated from the soil

thermal

Ex situ ____ treatment generally involves the destruction or removal of contaminants through exposure to high temperature in treatment cells, combustion chambers or other means. Contaminated media is contained during the remediation process

fractured rock

Type of impacted media that has zones displaying fundamentally different contaminant transport and fate behavior than in unconsolidated sand and gravel aquifers. Significantly more uncertainty exists as to the direction and rate of contaminant migration, as well as the processes and factors that control chemical and microbial transformations

sediment

Type of impacted media that are at the bottom of a water body can become contaminated in a number of ways, including:

• Urban runoff of surface waters.

• Agricultural runoff of nutrients and pesticides

• Industrial spills and releases.

• Atmospheric deposition of substances.

• The discharge of contaminated groundwater through the sediments.

Vapor intrusion

Refers to the migration of chemical vapors from a subsurface source, such as contaminated soil, groundwater, or utility conduit, into an overlying building or structure. In some situations, vapors can accumulate in homes and other occupied buildings to levels that require evacuation of building occupants and other prompt response actions to reduce or eliminate exposure to vapors.

TCE (Trichloroethylene)

Most common groundwater contaminant