Enhanced Attenuation of Unsaturated Chlorinated Solvent Source Zones using Direct Hydrogen Delivery
Abstract
As of 2005, the Department of Defense (DoD) has identified nearly 6,000 sites at its facilities that require groundwater remediation and has invested $20 billion for site cleanup over a tenyear period (Government Accountability Office [GAO], 2005). At many of these sites, unsaturated chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOC) source zones located above the water table are producing and sustaining groundwater plumes. Many of these unsaturated sources are currently being treated with soil vapor extraction (SVE) technologies. Long-term SVE projects can be very costly, as the treatment process for the recovered vapors is expensive. The overall objective of this project is to show if Hydrogen-Based Treatment (H2T) can serve as a remediation technology for the unsaturated zone, either as the initial remediation technology applied at a site or as a polishing technology that will allow DoD site managers to shut down an existing expensive, low performance SVE system, but where monitored natural attenuation may not be sufficient to control the groundwater plume that is sourced by the residual contaminants in the unsaturated zone. With such a technology, the cost for remediating these groundwater plumes can be greatly reduced, and a much more sustainable remedy can be implemented. This demonstration answers key questions about the performance, implementability, and cost of the technology. If successful, the H2T system can serve as a cost-effective and more sustainable remediation technology (i.e., lower carbon-footprint) for unsaturated soils containing chlorinated solvents.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA600303
Entities
People
- Ahmad Seyedabbasi
- Andrea Leeson
- Chuck Coyle
- Chuck Newell
- Mark Wichman
- Nick Geibel
Organizations
- Environmental Security Technology Certification Program