Regenesis Credits ORC for 29 Contaminated Site Closures
Using the enhanced in-situ bioremediation technology Oxygen Release Compound (ORC®) and targeted contaminant source removal, remediation professionals restored and secured regulatory closure for 29 petroleum-contaminated sites across Indiana at an estimated cost saving of $75,000-$900,000 per site, according to a press release from Regenesis.
The cleanups used a closure strategy designed to achieve rapid, highly cost-effective results through a combination of accelerated in-situ bioremediation, risk-based clean-up goals and, where needed, focused source removal.
ORC® is a non-toxic, easy-to-handle powder that is typically mixed with water to form a milk-like slurry that is injected directly into contaminated soil and groundwater, where it provides a controlled-release supply of oxygen for as long as 12 months. The increased oxygen level stimulates the growth of naturally occurring aerobic microbes that actually digest the hydrocarbons in the subsurface, leaving only water, carbon dioxide and other harmless end-products.
Before treatment, the 29 sites, located at service stations and bulk storage facilities belonging to a major oil company, had concentrations of up to 26,000+ µg/L (over 26,000 milligrams per liter) of gasoline, diesel fuel, fuel additives and other hydrocarbons in soil and groundwater. Eight sites required only direct-push injection of ORC slurry for successful treatment. At the remaining sites, contaminant source areas were excavated and ORC slurry was applied into the base of the excavation and injected throughout the remainder of the treatment area. About two-thirds of the sites required only one ORC injection to reach site closure.
The remediation projects were completed between 1998 and 2008. The average treatment time was roughly three years and costs ranged from approximately $25,000 to $75,000 per site, plus monitoring expenses.
Regenesis' suite of advanced remediation technologies have been applied successfully at more than 14,000 sites worldwide.