Pollution Engineering - February 2009 - (Page 20)

Cleanup is When ROCKET SCIENCE layer of up to 1.2 feet in thickness was identified. Soil contamination that was associated with the former tank pit extended from 5 to 11 feet below ground surface, within an area of approximately 10,000 sq. feet. Groundwater impacts also extended across the site, with the highest contaminant concentrations in the vicinity of the former tank pit. Remediation technology spares sensitive underground infrastructure and cleanup dollars at the Kennedy Space Center. By STEVE RUFFING, P.E., Manager, Tetra Tech; ROBERT KLINE, NASA; and BARRY POLING Ohio Valley District Manager, Regenesis n Florida, not far from the grand stage upon which was launched America’s first voyage to the stars, rests the Launch Equipment Shop (LES), located within the vehicle assembly building area at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The LES used fuel oil for various mission critical purposes and required an underground storage tank (UST) for the convenient dispensing of adequate fuel quantities. As with most if not all USTs, leaks are not uncommon and can result in significant contamination of soil and/or groundwater. A leak occurred at the LES UST prompting its decommissioning and removal. At the time of the tank’s removal, only a limited volume of contaminated soil removal was permitted due to the presence of a significant number of sensitive subsurface utilities in the area. As a result, highly impacted soil and groundwater remained. Investigations at the site identified total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) contamination in the soil at concentrations approaching 20,000 ppm, and in groundwater at concentrations up to 42 ppm. In addition, a light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) free-product 20 Pollution Engineering FEBRUARY2009 g I All about chemistry Tetra Tech, NASA’s environmental consultant, proposed the use of in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO), a process by which powerful chemical oxidation reactions are facilitated by combining two or more reactive chemicals. The resulting chemical mixture is then injected or mixed into soil and/or groundwater, where it makes contact with contaminants and destroys them. Unfortunately many commonly used ISCO agents produce reactions that can be highly exothermic, generating problematic heat and pressure – highly undesirable conditions for maintaining the integrity of sensitive underground infrastructure.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Pollution Engineering - February 2009

Pollution Engineering - February 2009 Contents The Guest Dialog EnviroNews PE Events Legal Lookout Casebook Canada Environmental Management When Cleanup is Rocket Science RemTEC Features A Chile Air Filter Safer Waste Handling Reaps Rewards 2009 Environmental Software Review Some Serious Sliplining Environmental Software Products Biosolids Equipment Classified Marketplace Advertisers Index State Rules

Pollution Engineering - February 2009

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