Windrow Composting Demonstration for Explosives-Contaminated Soils at the Umatilla Depot Activity Hermiston, Oregon.
Abstract
The U.S. Army Environmental Center (USAEC) formerly the U.S. Army Toxic and Hazardous Materials Agency (USATHAMA) conducted windrow and seeding composting field studies at the Umatilla Depot Activity (UNDA) in Hermiston, Oregon. These tests supplemented previous aerated static pile (ASP) and mechanically agitated in-vessel (MAIV) studies with the goal of identifying a composting technique that can provide an acceptable and cost effective alternative to incineration for the treatment of explosives-contaminated soils. In the past, incineration has been the standard solution implemented for the treatment of explosives-contaminated soils; however, composting shows promise as a cost-effective and environmentally acceptable alternative. The seeding study investigated the usefulness of recycling a portion of active compost from ASP tests into the initial mixture of subsequent ASP tests. It was theorized that over time, an acclimated culture of organisms adapted for the biological degradation of explosives would be developed and that their continued incorporation into successive mixtures could result in a decrease in the retention time necessary to reach explosives reduction goals. While this principal of seeding and recycle is well-founded in waste treatment practice, clear benefits were not observed under the conditions tested in this study. The windrow study investigated the feasibility of employing a windrow composting approach for the remediation of explosives-contaminated soils and sediments. Both conventional unaerated windrows and mechanically aerated windrow tests were conducted. Preliminary testing was conducted using uncontaminated soils to establish operating parameters. -BKA
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA291187
Entities
People
- Hammell
- Lowe
- Marks
- Myers
Organizations
- Weston Solutions (United States)