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8212513 
Meetings & Symposia 
Large-scale applications of ZVI/organic carbon soil amendments in soil remediation 
Lakhwala, F; Seech, A; Hill, D 
2009 
In Situ and On-Site Bioremediation-2009: Proceedings of the 10th International In Situ and On-Site Bioremediation Symposium 
English 
A wide range of constituents of concern (COCs) are treatable using chemical reduction, including chlorinated pesticides, herbicides, energetics, and chlorinated solvents. Not only can in situ chemical reduction (ISCR) be applied to the saturated subsurface to treat groundwater, but it can be applied to the treatment of unsaturated soil where the moisture content is actively increased to a point sufficient to create strong reducing conditions. Amendment of soil with a combination of zero-valent iron (ZVI) and organic carbon, followed by the addition of water to attain typically 90% of the soil's water holding capacity, has been used to degrade many organic compounds. This combination of amendments generates oxidation reduction potentials (ORPs) as low as -550 mV, via a combination of chemical (iron corrosion) and microbiological (oxygen consumption) processes, thereby promoting reductive dehalogenation and/or degradation of many organic contaminants. The ZVI is able to directly dechlorinate many compounds and the active incorporation of the ZVI into the soil facilitates contact between it and the COCs. Growth of heterotrophic soil bacteria, which is stimulated by the added organic carbon, increases oxygen consumption and contributes to the drop in ORP. In general, reductive degradation of chlorinated and nitro-substituted COCs proceeds more rapidly and completely under strongly negative ORP conditions. Data from four completed projects will be presented: two each for energetics and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). The first case on energetics involved treatment of the fifth of eight 1,200 ton batches of soil impacted with TNT, Amino-DNT, RDX, and HMX. Concentrations of these compounds were reduced from 8,119, 903, 44, and 22 mg/kg to 26, 9, 0.8, and 0.2 mg/kg, representing 99.7, 99.0, 98.2, and 99.1% removal respectively. The second energetics case consisted of the treatment of 8,000 tons of soil. After five to six treatment cycles, mean RDX, HMX, and TNT concentrations were reduced from initial levels of 1,530, 1,112, and 95.8 mg/kg to 16.2, 84.5, and 8 mg/kg, representing reductions of 98.9, 92.4, and 93.7%, respectively. The first case study on OCPs is the treatment of more than 30 acres of impacted soil at a site that is being converted from agricultural to residential use. Each one-acre area of soil that was treated required between one to three days of active work. In all, the entire site was treated in a period of approximately 3 months. DDT, DDE, and DDD were reduced from 2.5, 3.1, and 0.15 mg/kg to 0.4, 0.7, and 0.03 mg/kg, representing 84, 77, and 80% removal, respectively. Either one or two applications were required to treat each of the one-acre areas, where the amount of ZVI/organic carbon added was 0.5% or less per application based on an estimated dry soil mass. The second OCPs case was the treatment of 4,500 tons of soil in an engineered bioremediation cell using three to twelve treatment cycles depending on the initial COC level. Analytical results indicated that mean Toxaphene, DDT, DDD, and DDE concentrations were reduced from 189, 81, 180, and 25 mg/kg to 10, 9, 52, and 6 mg/kg, representing reductions of 95, 89, 71, and 76%, respectively. 
Amines; Biodegradation; Bioremediation; Biotechnology; Degradation; Dehalogenation; Groundwater; Herbicides; Hydrogeology; Organic carbon; Soil conservation; Soil pollution; Water treatment; Analytical results; Chemical reduction; Chlorinated pesticides; Chlorinated solvent; Dry soil; Impacted soil; In-situ; Iron corrosion; Large-scale applications; Moisture contents; Organic contaminant; Organochlorine pesticides; Oxidation reduction potential; Oxygen consumption; Reducing conditions; Reductive dehalogenation; Soil amendment; Soil bacterium; Soil remediation; Unsaturated soil; Water holding capacity; Zerovalent irons