| Abstract: | Environmental contamination with ionic chromium has been identified as a problem at numerous Superfund and RCRA Corrective Action sites. In many cases, contamination of groundwater to levels above existing standards or criteria may be a potential problem both for direct consumption of groundwater and for transport of mobile forms of chromium to areas such as basements where it can becontacted. In the environment, chromium occurs in two forms: trivalent and hexavalent. The trivalent form is generally immobile and nontoxic; hexavalent chromium is generally mobile and toxic. This article first presents the extent of the chromium problem, reviews the environmental chemistry literature on chromium, and reviews existing treatment technology for chromium immobilization in the nontoxic trivalent state. Finally, we present a case study where immobilization of chromium occurred through natural processes allowing a modified no-action scenario for site remediation. |
