REMEDIATION TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPMENT FORUM
NON-AQUEOUS PHASE LIQUID (NAPL) CLEANUP ALLIANCE

Progress Report
Fourth Quarter 2001

Introduction

The Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (NAPL) Cleanup Alliance was established early in 2001 as one of the six active Action Teams under the Remediation Technologies Development Forum (RTDF). The RTDF fosters collaboration between the public and private sectors in developing innovative solutions to mutual hazardous waste problems. The Alliance is made up of representatives from the petroleum industry, federal and state government, and academia who share an interest in evaluating a range of technologies for remediation and management of large-scale, non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) contamination.

This report documents progress of the NAPL Cleanup Alliance during the fourth quarter of 2001.

Accomplishments

1. Randy Breeden, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 8, and Mark Lyverse, Chevron Research and Technology Company, co-chaired the third Alliance meeting in November 2001. The agenda for the meeting included updates on the work of the three Alliance Working Groups (see 2-4 below), including detailed discussion and finalization of an outline for a decision-making framework that describes how to address large-scale sites that have significant NAPL issues resulting in relatively large and prolonged expenditures.
2. The Project Technical Working Group continued work on a pilot a project to address NAPL contamination at a former refinery site in Casper, WY. Work on the project focuses on analyzing the mobility and behavior of hydrocarbons at the site and evaluating various cost-effective cleanup technologies to identify feasible remedies that reduce contaminant concentrations below practical endpoints, so that the site would be considered acceptable for future re-use. During the quarter, the Working Group planned and conducted the first two stages of an investigation of the site to provide data for an evaluation of NAPL distribution, mobility and natural attenuation mechanisms. The investigative techniques included the collection of data which will be used to estimate in situ oil saturation and mobility. The working group used an innovative investigation technology, the Navy's Site Characterization and Analysis Penetrometer System (SCAPS), to conduct the first phase of the investigation. This technology offered the benefits of providing more data at a lower cost than conventional methods, and an improved understanding of complex NAPL distribution and heterogeneity. Fluid and soil samples were also collected and submitted to a petroleum engineering laboratory for analysis of various fluid and soil-fluid interaction properties. The data obtained from these investigative tools will be used along with the laboratory data to provide estimates of and of NAPL mobility and recoverability and biodegradation rate-constants. A report on results of the investigation is expected to be available in Spring 2002 and will be posted on the RTDF/NAPL Cleanup Alliance World Wide Web site (www.rtdf.org/public/napl/).
3. The Decision Framework Working Group completed a draft outline for a decision-making framework for managing NAPLs at large-scale sites. NAPL Cleanup Alliance members provided comments, discussed, revised, and finalized the outline during the November meeting. The Alliance retained a contractor to prepare a draft document based on the outline. Members hope to invite state and federal regulators and others to review the draft and provide comments during a meeting in 2002.
4. The Technical Information Working Group continued its cooperation with an ongoing project for the Ground-Water Remediation Technologies Analysis Center (GWRTAC), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, to compile a searchable database of existing information on NAPL research and cleanup projects in the United States and Europe. When the database is completed, the information will be made available via the Internet. The Alliance (www.rtdf.org/public/napl/) and GWRTAC (www.gwrtac.org) will provide access to the database via their Internet sites.
5. Alliance members participate in periodic conference calls to discuss project progress and organizational issues. The next Alliance meeting is expected to be in April 2002.