Overview and Update of the Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (site) Demonstration Program

The Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program is now in its sixth year of demonstrating technologies applicable to Superfund sites. The SITE Program, conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory, is intended to accelerate the use of new and innovative treatment processes as well as evaluate innovative measurement and monitoring techniques. Within the SITE Program, the Demonstration Program and the Emerging Technologies Program are responsible for innovative/ alternative waste treatment technology development. Separate and parallel activities are progressing for development and evaluation of measuring and monitoring technologies as well as technology transfer operations.     

Alternating Current Electrocoagulation for Superfund Site Remediation

Abstract

The Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Emerging Technology (ET) Program, authorized under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986, implements the goal of the SITE Program to promote, accelerate the development of, and make commercially available alternative innovative treatment technologies for use at Superfund sites.

Under this program, the technical and economical feasibility of alternating current electrocoagulation (ACE) developed by Electro-Pure Systems, Inc., was evaluated for a two-year period. ACE is an electrochemical technology where highly-charged aluminum polyhydroxide species are introduced into aqueous media for the removal of suspended solids, oil droplets and soluble ionic pollutants. ACE can break stable aqueous colloidal suspensions of up to 10 percent total solids and stable emulsions containing up to 5 percent oil.

Major operating parameters have been defined for different classes of effluents based on experimental results using complex synthetic soil slurries and metals. Test results indicate that ACE produces aqueous and solid separations comparable to those produced by chemical flocculent additions, but with reduced filtration times and sludge volumes. The technology has application where removal of soluble and suspended pollutants from effluents is required, and in the recovery of fine-grained products from process streams. The technology, however, has not yet been demonstrated at full-scale for Superfund site remediation. The principal results of the SITE research program, and results of ACE treatment on some different classes of industrial effluents not part of the SITE Program, are summarized.     

1990 Update of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SITE Emerging Technology Program

The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish an Alternative/Innovative Treatment Technology Research and Demonstration Program. The EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response and the Office of Research and Development established a program called the Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program to accelerate the development and use of innovative cleanup technologies at hazardous waste sites. The SITE Program comprises of five areas: the Demonstration Program, the Emerging Technology Program, the Measurement and Monitoring Technologies Development Program, the Innovative Technologies Program, and the Technology Transfer Program.

This paper discusses the Emerging Technology Program (ETP) that supports the development of technologies that have been successfully tested at bench-scale level. Before a technology can be accepted into the Emerging Technology Program, sufficient data must be available to validate its basic concepts. The ETP enters into a co-funding effort with developers for a one- or two-year effort. Developers are responsible for contributing financial support and conducting the developmental research. After development and data collection, the technology’s performance is documented and a report is prepared, which may include recommendations for further developing the technology. If test results are encouraging, a technology may proceed with approval to a field demonstration.

The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with (1) an introduction to the Emerging Technology Program (2) an understanding of how the program operates (3) a summary of those technologies currently being tested and evaluated under the program and (4) information on how to apply to the program.     

1992 Update of U.S. EPA’s Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Emerging Technology Program

The Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Emerging Technology Program (ETP) has encouraged and financially supported further development of bench- and pilot-scale testing and evaluation of innovative technologies suitable for use at hazardous waste sites for five years. The ETP was established under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986. The ETP complies with the goal of the SITE Program to promote, accelerate and make commercially available the development ofalternative /innovative treatment technologies for use at Superfund sites.

Technologies are submitted to the ETP through yearly solicitations for Preproposals. Following a technical review, chosen applicants are asked to submit a detailed project proposal and a cooperative agreement application that requires Developer I EPA cost sharing. EPA co-funds selected Developers for one to two years. Second-year funding requires documentation of significant progress during the first year. Facilities, equipment, data collection, performance and development are monitored throughout the project. The U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U. S. Air Force (USAF) are participants in the ETP. DOE has co-funded ETP projects since 1990 and the USAF since 1991.

A primary goal of the ETP is to move developed technologies to the field-demonstration stage. Therefore, a developer may be considered for participation in the SITE Demonstration Program provided performance in the ETP indicates the technology is field-ready for demonstration and evaluation.

Six technology categories: biological, chemical, materials handling, physical, solidification/ stabilization and thermal, are presently in the ETP.

Technologies of primary interest to EPA are those that can treat complex mixtures of hazardous organic and inorganic contaminants and provide improved solids handling and/orpretreatment.

An account of the background and progress of the ETP’s first five years is presented in this paper. Technologies currently in the ETP, including those selected from the fifth (EOS) solicitation, are noted, and developers, along with EPA Project Managers, are listed.     

Estimating Innovative Technology Costs for the SITE Program

Among the objectives of the EPA’s Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program are two which pertain to the issue of economics: 1. That the program will provide a projected cost for each treatment technology demonstrated.

2. That the program will attempt to identify and remove impediments to the development and commercial use of alternative technologies.¹

The SITE Program has fostered a special relationship between elements of the public and private sector. In turn, this has created a unique set of problems. These problems are most apparent where objectives of the public and private sector conflict, as in the area of cost economics. One concern of the SITE Program is to provide the public with an impartial analysis of each technology’s cost. Just as important is the need to be sensitive to the demands of the competitive economic environment which face every firm selling innovative technology (especially when the goal is to promote the commercial use of new technologies).

An early concern of the SITE Program was to design a methodology for projecting and reporting costs which tried to balance the needs of these two groups. Toward this end, four issues were identified which were thought to have a significant impact on the SITE Program's ability to generate useful cost projections. An analysis of these issues led to the creation of a simple five-part cost methodology. This paper will review the nature of these problems and will describe the methodology which addresses them. Finally, a review of cost data gathered from the first nine demonstrations will be presented.     

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SITE Emerging Technology Program

Under the SITE Emerging Technology Program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking to foster the further development of technologies that have been successfully tested at bench-scale and are now ready for pilot-scale testing, prior to field- or full-scale demonstration. The goal is to ensure that a steady stream of permanent, cost-effective, technologies will be ready for demonstration in the field, thereby increasing the number of viable alternatives available for use in Superfund removal and remedial actions. Under this program, EPA can offer technology developers financial assistance of up to $150,000 per year, for up to two years. The program is in its second year with seven projects underway and eight more ready to start, pending completion of award actions. The Third Emerging Technology Program Solicitation is open to the receipt of new proposals from July 8,1989 through September 7,1989. The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with: (1) an introduction to the Emerging Technology Program; (2) an understanding of how the Program operates; (3) a summary of those technologies currently being tested and evaluated under the Program; and (4) information on how to apply to the Program.     

Refinery Sludge Treatment/Hazardous Waste Minimization Via Dehydration and Solvent Extraction

Abstract

The patented Carver-Greenfield (C-G) Process®, a combination of dehydration and solvent extraction treatment technologies, has a wide range of uses in separating hydrocarbon solvent-soluble hazardous organic contaminants (indigenous oil) from sludges, soils, and industrial wastes. As a result of this treatment, the products from a C-G Process facility are: ? Clean, dry solids which are typically suitable for disposal in nonhazardous landfills;

? Water which is treatable in an industrial or Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) wastewater treatment facility;

? Extracted indigenous oil containing hydrocarbon soluble contaminants which may be recycled or reused or disposed of at less cost because its volume is smaller than the original waste feed.

The C-G Process was demonstrated on spent oily drilling fluids as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program. This paper summarizes the use of the C-G Process for economical treatment and minimization of hazardous refinery wastes, reviews the SITE program results, and describes extending the C-G Process technology to treatment of other wastes. Estimated treatment costs are presented.     

The Use of Electrokinetics for Hazardous Waste Site Remediation

The Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) program was authorized as part of the 1986 amendments to the Superfund legislation. It represents a joint effort between U.S. EPA’s Office of Research and Development and Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. The program is designed to assist and encourage the development of waste treatment technologies that would contribute to more solutions to our hazardous waste problems.

Recently, EPA, through the SITE program, issued a work assignment to assess the “stateof- the-art” of electroklnetically enhanced contaminant removal from soils. Prior research efforts, both laboratory and field, have demonstrated that electroosmosis has the potential to be effective In facilitating the removal of certain types of hazardous wastes from soils. Particularly encouraging results have been achieved with inorganics in fine-grained soils where more traditional removal alternatives are less effective.

Although the results of various studies suggest that electrokinetics is a promising technology, further testing Is needed at both the laboratory and field levels to fully develop this technology for site remediation. A conceptual test program Is presented based on best available data which incorporates system design and operating parameters used in previous applications of this technology In the use of electrokinetics treatment as a remediation technique at hazardous waste sites.     

U.S. EPA SITE demonstration of AWD Technologies' AquaDetox/SVE system.

Under the Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program, a technology developed by AWD Technologies, Inc. was demonstrated in September 1990. This paper presents the major results of the SITE demonstration of AWD Technologies' AquaDetox/SVE treatment system designed for simultaneous on-site treatment of contaminated groundwater and soil-gas. The groundwater and soil at the demonstration site were contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE). The AWD technology was evaluated on the basis of the removal efficiencies of TCE and PCE from the contaminated groundwater and soil-gas. The conclusions drawn from these evaluations are: (1) the system achieved removal efficiencies as high as 99.99 percent for groundwater and 99.9 percent for soil-gas; (2) the effluent groundwater was in compliance with the regulatory discharge requirements of 5 micrograms/L each for TCE and PCE for all test runs; (3) the demonstrated 1,000 gpm system has an estimated capital cost of $4.3 million and annual operating and maintenance cost of approximately $820,000.     

U.S. EPA SITE Demonstration of AWD Technologies’ AquaDetox/SVE System

Under the Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program, a technology developed by AWD Technologies, Inc. was demonstrated in September 1990. This paper presents the major results of the SITE demonstration of AWD Technologies’ AquaDetox®ISVE treatment system designed for simultaneous on-site treatment of contaminated groundwater and soil-gas. The groundwater and soil at the demonstration site were contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE). The AWD technology was evaluated on the basis of the removal efficiencies of TCE and PCE from the contaminated groundwater and soil-gas. The conclusions drawn from these evaluations are: (1) the system achieved removal efficiencies as high as 99.99percent for groundwater and 99.9 percent for soil-gas; (2) the effluent groundwater was in compliance with the regulatory discharge requirements of 5 fig/L each for TCE and PCE for all test runs; (3) the demonstrated 1,000 gpm system has an estimated capital cost of $4.3 million and annual operating and maintenance cost of approximately $820,000.     

SITE Demonstration of the CF Systems Organic Extraction Process

The CF Systems Organic Extraction Process was used to remove PCBs from contaminated sediment dredged from the New Bedford Harbor. This work was done as part of a field demonstration under EPA’s Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) program. The purpose of the SITE program is to provide an independent and objective evaluation of innovative waste remediation processes. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the SITE demonstration of this technology. Results of the demonstration tests show that the system, which uses liquefied propane, successfully removed PCBs from contaminated sediments in New Bedford Harbor. Removal efficiencies for all test runs exceeded 70 percent. Some operational problems occurred during the demonstration which may have affected the efficiency with which PCBs were removed from the dredged sediment. Large amounts of residues were generated from this demonstration project. Costs for using this process are estimated to be between $150/ton and $450/ton.     

SITE demonstration of the CF systems organic extraction process

The CF Systems Organic Extraction Process was used to remove PCBs from contaminated sediment dredged from the New Bedford Harbor. This work was done as part of a field demonstration under EPA's Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) program. The purpose of the SITE program is to provide an independent and objective evaluation of innovative waste remediation processes. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the SITE demonstration of this technology. Results of the demonstration tests show that the system, which uses liquefied propane, successfully removed PCBs from contaminated sediments in New Bedford Harbor. Removal efficiencies for all test runs exceeded 70 percent. Some operational problems occurred during the demonstration which may have affected the efficiency with which PCBs were removed from the dredged sediment. Large amounts of residues were generated from this demonstration project. Costs for using this process are estimated to be between $150/ton and $450/ton.     

Thermal Encapsulation of Metals in Superfund Soils

Abstract

Superfund sites frequently contain both heavy metals and organic hazardous waste. If not properly controlled, the metals may be changed to a more leachable form and may also be emitted to the atmosphere via the exhaust stack. This paper documents a batch kiln R&D test program to solve these metal-related problems. It was performed under the U.S. EPA’s SITE (Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation) Emerging Technology Program. Allis Mineral Systems has developed the Thermal Encapsulation Process. Metals with limits set by EPA’s TCLP (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure) test and BIF (boiler and industrial furnace) stack emission regulations, such as cadmium, chromium, and lead, are the initial target of this process. This process, while unproven in these areas, may also apply to mixed waste (EPA hazardous waste/low-level radioactive wastes) and may also benefit commercial hazardous waste or Superfund thermal treatment systems. The results of the SITE tests were positive: strong, durable nodules were produced with excellent crush strength and improved resistance to leaching. Feed preparation, particularly control of moisture content, was found to be a key element in initiation of agglomeration. A good correlation was found between decreasing TCLP metals leachate levels and increasing crush strength.     

Control Technologies for Remediation of Contaminated Soil and Waste Deposits at Superf und Lead Battery Recycling Sites

This paper primarily addresses remediation of contaminated soils and waste deposits at defunct lead-acid battery recycling sites (LBRS) via immobilization and separation processes. A defunct LBRS is a facility at which battery breaking, secondary lead smelting, or both operations were performed for the primary purpose of reclaiming lead from spent lead-acid batteries. Metallic lead and lead compounds are generally the principal contaminants of concern in soils and waste deposits (i.e., buried, piled, landfilled waste) at these sites. Other metals (e.g., cadmium, copper, arsenic, antimony, and selenium) are often present at LBRS, but usually at much lower concentrations than lead and often present below hazardous concentrations. This article is primarily based on experience gained from: (1) Superfund site investigation, removal, and remedial actions, and (2) development and demonstration of control technologies under the Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program. The primary remedial options for lead contaminated soils and waste deposits include: (1) no action, (2) off-site disposal, (3) containment, (4) immobilization, (5) separation with resource recovery, and (6) separation without resource recovery. In spite of the toxicity of lead at low concentrations, the relative immobility of lead and site-specific risk assessments can still result in the selection of no action or containment remedies. Solidification/stabilization of lead-contaminated soils has been implemented at three Superfund sites and is the selected remedy at several others. Separation technologies (e.g., screening, extraction) are attractive because, if successful, they actually remove the contaminant from the environmental media. Separation technologies also offer the possibility that a valuable product (e.g., lead, plastic, energy) can be recovered, but careful consideration of economic and technical factors are required. Compared to the implementation of containment and solidification I stabilization remedies, separation technologies tend to be relatively novel, complex, and costly.     

Quality Assurance for the SITE Program Demonstrations

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has implemented a rigorous quality assurance (QA) program to ensure that the performance data generated during their Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Demonstration projects are of known and adequate quality to support decisions to use such technologies for hazardous waste site characterizations or remediations. A general overview of the ways in which this QA program has been conducted and of the results it has produced is presented.     

A Modular Approach to A Microcomputer Monitoring System

Abstract

Under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Emerging Technology Program, COGNIS, Inc. conducted bench-scale studies on the COGNIS TERRAMET® Lead Extraction Process. The process leaches, or extracts, lead from contaminated soil and consists of a lead leaching stage followed by recovery of the dissolved lead from the leachant. Prior to treatment, the soil is characterized, the type and extent of lead contamination is identified, and the soil is pretreated by physical separation methods to facilitate the extraction process. The physical pretreatment, for example, may include particle size separation to allow separate leaching of the sand and fines fractions and removal of larger lead particles by density separation techniques. As part of the SITE Program, COGNIS investigated seven different lead-contaminated soil samples in small bench-scale batch studies and three soils in larger bench-scale continuous-treatment studies. This bench-scale work led to the design, construction, and operation of a full-scale treatment plant by COGNIS at the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP), New Brighton, MN where lead and seven other heavy metals were extracted and recovered from over 20,000 tons of treated soil to meet cleanup criteria.     

Measurement of Ozone Levels by Ship Along the Eastern Shore of Lake Michigan

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in cooperation with the Toronto Harbour Commissioners (THC), conducted a Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) demonstration of the THC Soil Recycle Treatment Train. The treatment train consists of three technologies operated in sequence: a soil wash process, a metals removal process, and a biological treatment process. The THC conducted an extensive demonstration of the treatment train at a 55 tons per day pilot plant in order to evaluate an approach for remediation of industrial/commercial sites that are situated in the Toronto Port Industrial District (PID). Three soils were processed during the THC demonstration. The EPA SITE demonstration project examined, in detail, soil processing from one of the sites being evaluated as part of the overall THC project. Contaminants included organic compounds and heavy metals. It has been estimated by THC that as much as 2,200,000 tons of soil from locations within the PID may require some form of treatment due to heavy metal and/or organic contamination that resulted from various industrial processing operations. The objective of the SITE demonstration was to evaluate the technical effectiveness of the process in relation to THC’s target criteria.

Gravel and sand that met the THC target criteria for medium to fine soil suitable for industrial/commercial sites was produced. The fine soil from the biological treatment process did not meet the target level of 2.4 ppm for benzo(a)pyrene. However, there was a significant reduction in polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds. The metals removal process achieved reductions of greater than seventy percent for copper, lead, nickel, and zinc.     

SITE Demonstration of the Basic Extractive Sludge Treatment Process

The Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program, in cooperation with EPA Region 5, the Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) planned and executed a pilot-scale evaluation of the Basic Extractive Sludge Treatment (B.E.S.T.®) process on sediment samples obtained from the Grand Calumet River in Gary, Indiana. Two separate sampling locations were selected based upon previous data. One location had sediments with total polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations averaging 10 mg/kg, and total polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations averaging 520 mg/kg. The other location had sediments with average total PCB and PAH concentrations of 427 mg/kg and 72,000 mg/kg, respectively. The sediment samples were segregated by location, then screened, homogenized, and stored prior to treatment. A total of ten batches of sediments were treated (five for each sample location).

Results showed that of the samples which had low original contaminants concentrations, 96 percent of the PAHs and >99 percent of the PCBs were removed following seven sequential extractions. Treated samples which had high original contaminant concentrations were found to have removal efficiencies of >99 percentfor both PAHs and PCBs. Costs for applying this technology were estimated at $94.19/ton (assuming the system is on-line 80 percent of the time) excluding fixed costs associated with system mobilization/ demobilization and setup, and profit.     

Demonstration of In Situ Steam and Hot-Air Stripping Technology

Between September 5 and October 5,1989 a field demonstration of the NovaTerra, Inc. Detoxifier [formerly called Toxic Treatment (USA)] was performed by the U.S. EPA under the Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) program. The NovaTerra Detoxifier process injects steam and hot air directly into the ground to vaporize and strip volatile and semivolatile organics. Two augers loosen and homogenize the soil during the stripping process. The steam, hot air and organics are carried to the soil surface and collected for treatment.

The field demonstration was performed at the GATX Annex Terminal located at the Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro, California. Approximately 17 percent of the 5.2 acre site is contaminated with chlorinated solvents, plasticizers, coatings, adhesives and paint additives, and other miscellaneous chemicals from aboveground storage tanks and transfer operations to railroad cars.

The objectives of this SITE Demonstration were to determine the in situ soil concentrations before and after treatment, quantify process stream emissions (fugitive and sidestreams), determine process operating conditions, and determine if vertical migration of contaminants is occurring. Results from the SITE demonstration showed that a substantial amount of the VOCs were removed, about half the SVOCs were removed, there was very little fugitive air emissions from the operation, and what little downward migration occured (if any) was inconsequential.