In-Place Remediation Cleans Up Coal-tar Soils, Groundwater
VeruTEK Technologies Inc. has completed an in-place remediation of surface and subsurface contaminated soils and groundwater at a former manufactured gas plant site using a combination of its proprietary Surfactant-Enhanced In Situ Chemical Oxidation (S-ISCO™) and Surfactant-Enhanced Ex Situ Chemical Oxidation (S-ESCO™), according to a Nov. 3 press release.
This remedial approach allows complete or near-complete remediation of contaminated surface soils and subsurface soils and groundwater.
The company treated 1,200 cubic yards of soil over three days. The total petroleum hydrocarbons in S-ESCO treated soils were reduced from 4,183 ppm to 235 ppm and all volatile organic compounds and naphthalene were below the required criteria.
Bill Guite, P.E., company field operations manager said, "The project was a tremendous success. In the future, we will be able to treat even larger quantities of soil onsite quickly and efficiently. We haven't reached the upper limit."
VeruTEK is one of a few commercial research and development companies focused on remedying toxic compounds in the environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates there are 294,000 contaminated sites in the United States in need of remediation. Fortune 1000 companies have reserved between $250B and $1000B to clean up such sites, but many of these projects have been delayed due to a lack of effective cleanup technologies. As such, more than 50 percent of the remediation in the United States involves digging up soil and storing toxic waste in landfills. In-place remediation technologies provide a more cost-effective solution.
The company currently is implementing seven projects in five states.