Introduction. The Poly Carb site had phenol- and cresols-contaminated soil. Bench-scale tests of three innovative technologies--biodegradation, passive evaporation, and soil washing--explored their success in removing phenol and cresols from Poly Carb soil. Soil washing was selected as the alternative to the traditional off-site transportation and disposal of contaminated soil.
Soil Washing Engineering Study. Soil washing is the removal of soil-bound contaminants with aqueous solvents, like washing your laundry. Various wash solutions were explored. Ironically, plain water worked acceptably well. This discovery was brought forward to the full-scale design and cleanup.
Remedial Design and Operations. Lessons learned from the earlier use of active soil washing to remove lead from soils led Evangelista to co-designed a passive in-situ soil washing system. During the construction phase, contaminated soil was excavated, the leach pits were built, and the contaminated soil placed into leach pits. During the cleanup phase, plain water intermittently leached the soil in the pits. Activated carbon removed phenol and cresols from the leach water and provided a home for indigenous microbes to grow and consume contaminants, a secondary effect. The soil was successfully cleaned in less than two summer seasons.
More Information. Successful Onsite Treatment of Phenols, Cresols. R. Mandel, H. Allen, R. Evangelista, and R. Worobel.
PDF 1.4 MB
Treatment of Phenol and Cresol Contaminated Soil. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 25:343-60. R. Evangelista, H. Allen, and R. Mandel.
PDF 1.1 MB
Soil Remediation Bench-Scale Engineering Studies, Poly-Carb Site, Wells, NV. R. Evangelista. Prepared for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
PDF 4.6 MB
Evaporation, Soil Washing, and Biodegradation Studies for On-Site Treatment of Phenol and Cresol Contaminated Soil. R. Evangelista, H. Allen, and R. Mandel. American Institute of Chemical Engineers Summer National Meeting Conference Proceedings, Dallas, TX.
In Situ Treatment of Contaminated Soil by Evaporation, Soil Washing and Biodegradation, Wells, NV. H. Allen, R. Mandel, and R. Evangelista. Hazardous Materials Spills Conference Proceedings, Chicago, IL. PDF 2.0 MB
Soil Treatability Studies for Poly-Carb Site, Wells, NV. R. Evangelista. Prepared for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
PDF 2.2 MB
