Integration of RBCA frameworks and remediation technologies

Decisions that determine the proper risk-based remediation approach are based on technical, regulatory, cost, legal, and political factors. A wide variety of options such as the ASTM RBCA tiered approach, the API Decision Support Software, and a host of agency-specific methods and commercial risk assessment software are all available. The optimization of a remediation project requires the right remediation technology coupled with the appropriate analytical framework. For groundwater remediation, the application of various “risk reduction” technologies can be classified as aggressive (pump and treat), moderate intensity (air sparging), low intensity (oxygen release compound-ORC®), and intrinsic (monitor only). The time frame of risk analysis will establish the proper risk reduction strategy. The selection process is inherently iterative, and the approach by which an optimal solution can be derived forms the basis of this article. A case study of a Texas site put these issues into context.     

Urban air pollution and atmospheric diffusion research in China

Air pollution has become a serious problem in China as a result of that country's efforts in the last 30 years to become a great industrial power. The burning of coal, which currently provides over 70% of all China's energy needs, is a major source of air pollution. Because Chinese coal is high in sulfur and ash content and because most combustion devices in China have low efficiencies, SO₂ and particulate emissions are a serious problem and are comparable to or exceed those found in many countries that are much more industrialized. Although most coal is burned in North China, acid precipitation is most severe in South China because of the lack of buffering loess dust found in the former region.The Chinese government has already taken major steps to mitigate air pollution, such as relocating polluting industries, supplying coal with lower sulfur content, using gas instead of coal for residential heating, and levying fines on industries that exceed pollution standards. Atmospheric environmental impact assessment (AEIA) is also required for all major new projects. This article describes three types of mathematical diffusion models and field and wind-tunnel experiments that are used in such assessments.The Chinese authorities believe that a range of technological, managerial, locational, and behavioral changes must be effected before the air of Chinese cities can be significantly improved.     

Spatial and temporal variability of ambient air toxics data

This paper summarizes information on the spatial and temporal variability of selected air toxics pollutants collected on a national basis primarily for a period encompassing 1990-2003. Spatial information on pollutant concentrations is characterized in terms of within-city and between-city variability. Temporal information is summarized as diurnal and seasonal variability and in multiyear trends. The information on variability is presented in the framework of a larger need for systematic documentation of information on air toxics pollutants to assess progress in air pollution control programs.     

Validation of the digital opacity compliance system under regulatory enforcement conditions

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Emission Measurement Center in conjunction with EPA Regions VI and VIII, the state of Utah, and the U.S. Department of Defense have conducted a series of long-term pilot and field tests to determine the accuracy and reliability of a visible opacity monitoring system consisting of a conventional digital camera and a separate computer software application for plume opacity determination. This technology, known as the Digital Opacity Compliance System (DOCS), has been successfully demonstrated at EPA-sponsored Method-9 "smoke schools", as well as at a number of government and commercially operated industrial facilities. Results from the current DOCS regulatory pilot study demonstrated that, under regulatory enforcement conditions, the average difference in opacity measurement between the DOCS technology and EPA Reference Method 9 (Method 9) was 1.12%. This opacity difference, which was computed from the evaluation of 241 regulated air sources, was found to be statistically significant at the 99% confidence level. In evaluating only those sources for which a nonzero visible opacity level was recorded, the     

Radioactivity in trinitite six decades later

The first nuclear explosion test, named the Trinity test, was conducted on July 16, 1945 near Alamogordo, New Mexico. In the tremendous heat of the explosion, the radioactive debris fused with the local soil into a glassy material named Trinitite. Selected Trinitite samples from ground zero (GZ) of the test site were investigated in detail for radioactivity. The techniques used included alpha spectrometry, high-efficiency gamma-ray spectrometry, and low-background beta counting, following the radiochemistry for selected radionuclides. Specific activities were determined for fission products (90Sr, 137Cs), activation products (60Co, 133Ba, 152Eu, 154Eu, 238Pu, 241Pu), and the remnants of the nuclear fuel (239Pu, 240Pu). Additionally, specific activities of three natural radionuclides (40K, 232Th, 238U) and their progeny were measured. The determined specific activities of radionuclides and their relationships are interpreted in the context of the fission process, chemical behavior of the elements, as well as the nuclear explosion phenomenology.     

Applying physicochemical approaches to control phosphogypsum heavy metal releases in aquatic environment

One of the most important sources of solid waste in the Mediterranean Basin ecosystem originated from the phosphate fertilizer industries, which discharge phosphogypsum (PG) directly into aquatic environments or are stacked on stockpiles. The present study investigates metal release from PG under the influence of variable pH, increasing PG mass content, and complexing organic matter ligands. Major ions from PG leachates, grain size and charge, main functional groups along with metal leachability (Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, and Zn) were determined using ion chromatography, laser diffraction, zetameter, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and atomic absorption spectroscopy, respectively. The complete dissolution of PG recorded is at 2 g/L. Saturation and supersaturation with respect to PG may occur at concentrations of 3 and 4 g/L, respectively, revealing a clustering phenomenon leading to heavy metal encapsulation within the aggregates. Organic ligands such as citrate may trigger the cationic exchange within the PG suspension leading to ion release. As these factors are considered as specific process involving the release of contaminants from PG during storage under natural conditions, this study could set the foundations for PG remediation in aquatic environment. Organic ligands under controlled pH conditions could be utilized in treating fertilizer industrial wastes by taking into consideration the particularity of the receiving area, thus decreasing metal hazardous impact on natural media.     

Treatment of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances in groundwater using a carbon-based micro-adsorbent and ceramic membrane filtration

This article presents the results of an Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) demonstration conducted at Horsham Air Guard Station and the former Willow Grove Naval Reserve Station in Horsham, Pennsylvania. The ESTCP project information can be found here: https://www.serdp-estcp.org/projects/details/568c0487-f182-40c1-9d4d-9297f4bbedda/er19-5181-projcet-overview . The technology demonstrated, identified as the AquaPRS™ system, employs a carbon-based micro-adsorbent suspension to adsorb polyfluoroalkylated substance (PFAS), which is subsequently filtered using a ceramic membrane filter. A prototypical AquaPRS system was specifically designed and implemented to treat per- and PFAS-contaminated water resources at a fidelity level that could be replicated at other US Department of Defense sites. The objective of the project was to demonstrate and validate the application of the adsorption and separation treatment approach to reduce the total life-cycle cost of treating PFAS-impacted groundwater. The results of the demonstration showed that the AquaPRS technology provides an alternative to granular activated carbon (GAC) and ion exchange (IX) systems based on treatment efficacy and cost performance using lifecycle cost analyses. Pretreatment included cloth media filtration with a nominal 5 µm particulate rejection rating to remove sediment from the surface water treated during the Horsham evaluation. Prefiltration was not necessary for treating the Willow Grove groundwater due to the lower raw turbidities. The micro-adsorbent was added to the system to maintain a suspension between 1 and 50 g/L in the sorbent chamber at reaction times from 5 to 20 min. Treated effluent was separated from the sorbent slurry matrix using the ceramic membrane filter, with the slurry returned to the sorption reactor. The first study conducted at Horsham Air Guard Station demonstrated and validated the AquaPRS treatment approach using a mobile pilot system, while the second study (conducted at the former Naval Reserve Air Station at Willow Grove) provided further optimization of cost, performance, and scalability. At Horsham, 13 tests were conducted over 9 months using a dual-train pilot with each test evaluating two separate conditions. The first 10 tests were conducted with treatment systems in parallel and the remaining three were conducted in series. At Willow Grove, five tests were conducted over a 6-month period for a total of 10 individual test conditions. Three tests were performed in parallel with two operated in series. Tests conducted at Horsham evaluated the performance of the AquaPRS system at different hydraulic detention times (5–120 min), sorbent mass (10–430 g), sorbent densities (0.5–40 g/L), and flowrates (0.1–1 L/min). At Willow Grove, the range of these parameters was further narrowed with hydraulic detention times from 10 to 20 min, sorbent mass from 100 to 200 g, sorbent density from 10 to 25 g/L, and flowrate from 0.67 to 1 L/min. AquaPRS was validated by quantifying the specific adsorption rate (SAR) of various PFASs on the micro-adsorbent and comparing it to values derived for GAC and IX from the same water matrix. The costs of the three treatment systems were compared to estimate a payback period for the AquaPRS system compared to GAC and IX. At 10% breakthrough, the SAR of AquaPRS for the combined concentration of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR3) PFASs was nearly 300 times higher compared to those treated with GAC. At 40 ng/L breakthrough for combined UCMR3 compounds, a single-stage AquaPRS system at Horsham achieved 146 µg PFAS/g sorbent SAR, while a dual-stage system at Willow Grove achieved 2128 µg PFAS/g sorbent. The AquaPRS system showed a breakeven period of 8 months compared to a similarly designed GAC system in the Horsham evaluation using the observed adsorption rates. In the Willow Grove test case, a 24–36-month breakeven period was determined for the AquaPRS technology when compared to the highest sorption rates observed among five previously tested IX resins. The AquaPRS benefits in comparison to GAC/IX include effective performance in the presence of co-contaminants, adaptability to changing conditions, limited downtime for sorbent replacement, resistance to biofouling, small footprint, and reduced disposal requirements. The lower waste production rates are due to the AquaPRS' ability to dewater the spent sorbent resulting in a waste generation of just 0.002% of the total volume of water treated. Based on the treatment efficacy and cost performance, the AquaPRS system is positioned as an alternative to GAC and IX systems.     

Intensity of hospital waste generation and disposal in the selected hospitals in Kerala,India: an analysis based on hospital ownership

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Management of hospital wastes has been considered as an integral part of hospital hygiene and infection control, which in turn depends on the...     

Metal ferrites nanoparticles for catalytic and photocatalytic ozonation in wastewater treatment: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The discharge of various pollutant-rich wastewater in large volumes without adequate treatment seriously endangers the environment. Catalytic and photocatalytic...