Joint Small-Arms Range Remediation
Abstract
This Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) demonstration conducted by the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center (NFESC) and the Army Environmental Center (AEC) removed lead and other heavy metals from small-arms range soils by a combination of physical separation and acid leaching. Physical separation processes are effective for range maintenance activities involving removal of particulate metals such as bullets and bullet fragments from berm soil, and also as a pretreatment when combined with acid leaching to remediate the soil to cleanup standards required for site closure. Physical separation alone may not sufficiently clean the soil to meet cleanup standards but it reduces the volume of soil requiring acid leaching, and reduces the load on the leaching process. Subsequent acid leaching can attain cleanup standards. The technology was demonstrated between August and December 1996 on soils from Range 5 at Fort Polk, an Army Base near Leesville, Louisiana. Range 5 is an active 300-meter small-arms range that mainly has been used for M-16 rifle training and contains soil and contamination of the type and quantity typically found at several DoD ranges. Two vendors were asked to demonstrate their variations of treatment trains for physical separation and acid leaching. Vendor 1 was asked to use acetic acid (i.e. weak acid) leaching and Vendor 2 was asked to use hydrochloric acid (i.e. strong acid) leaching. The two vendors were given total metals targets to achieve the Toxicity Characterization Leaching Procedure (TCLP) criterion for lead without the use of stabilization agents for the processed soil. Vendor 1's target was 1,000 mg/kg. The target was reduced to 500 mg/kg for Vendor 2 to better meet the TCLP criterion.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA631389