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May 11, 1998 |
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For More Information: Anne Elliott (202) 586-1607 Background: Claire Sink (301) 903-7928 |
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MULTI STATE - U.S. EPA JOINT VERIFICATION OF
TECHNOLOGY PERFORMANCE |
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Environmental regulators from seven states and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collaborated with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and an industrial consortium to demonstrate the performance of an innovate environmental soil remediation technology, named Lasagna ™. To assess cost and performance for removing trichloroethylene (TCE) from low-permeability soils, the demonstration was at DOE's Paducah, KY, site and it was successful. The states, EPA, DOE's Office of Science and Technology, and the industrial consortium led by Monsanto collaborated through the Rapid Commercialization Initiative (RCI), an interagency-interstate partnership. The Southern States Energy Board facilitated state regulatory participation. Industrial partners in the consortium are Monsanto, General Electric, and Dupont. A technology verification statement, the final product, reported performance and cost results, listed contacts for participating regulators, and was signed by all partnership participants. The last letter of concurrence has just arrived at Monsanto. States not having a statute authorizing verification of technology performance preferred to concur with rather than sign the report. Collaboration among regulators from multiple states and U.S. EPA in one demonstration of an innovative environmental remediation technology is a new way of doing business. This interstate-interagency partnership has demonstrated the feasibility of several regulatory bodies working together as a collegial team. Previously, each state (or site) conducted its own demonstration of a technology and assessed its effectiveness before regulatory permits would be issued. A collaborative - cooperative approach saves time and money for regulators, private sector technology holders, and DOE. Because one demonstration was sufficient for seven states and federal EPA, a need for additional demonstrations in other states (or sites) interested in using the technology was precluded. All states participated in a common demonstration of the technology. Overlapping or contradictory issues were addressed and jointly resolved in real time during the demonstration by the team. |
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Add-1 |
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A resulting verification statement summarized the environmental problem set, technology performance, and cost data. A listing of participating regulators and other team members is included. Contamination of low permeability soils with trichloroethylene (TCE) is a major environmental clean up problem. During the 1960-1980s, TCE was used as a degreasing agent for cleaning aircraft, circuit boards, and as a general low-cost inert solvent at DOD and DOE facilities. Currently, TCE is thought to be carcinogenic and has a federal drinking water standard of 5 ppbw. TCE contamination of soils is a major source of TCE groundwater contamination at many government and private facilities. The cleanup objective was met at two of the five locations and reductions of TCE at the remaining three locations were sufficient. Lasagna ™ was selected as a treatment option for the Paducah Site Proposed Clean Up Plan. A Record of Decision (ROD) is being completed for the Lasagna ™ technology for the specific area; public comment on the ROD has been completed. Signing of the ROD is expected by the end of September 1998. Lasagna™ soil remediation technology is a soil treatment for in-situ removal of TCE and other chlorinated solvents from contaminated low-permeability soils, thereby reducing or eliminating generation of hazardous waste or toxic air emissions associated with soil removal and treatment. The technology uses electro-osmosis to move contaminated water through specially-designed zones that degrade the waste in-situ. The demonstration objective was to show that Lasagna™ could reduce TCE concentrations in soil to below 5.6 ppmw. The specific site was a former storage cylinder drop test area with relatively shallow TCE penetration, detailed soil characterization data, and low soil permeability. The demonstration occurred in a treatment cell measuring 21 feet wide by 30 feet deep within a larger TCE contaminated volume. Initial soil average concentrations at five locations were 18, 42, 52, 34, and 34 ppmw, respectively. After 11 months of treatment, average concentrations of 0.87, 24, 0.16, 11, and 9.2 ppmw, were measured. At two locations, Lasagna™ met cleanup goals 95% of the time; at two other locations, significant cleanup occurred. No TCE air emissions were detected above the treatment cell. Potential licensees for the Lasagna™ technology are: CDM Federal, Geokinetics, Weiss and Associates, and Ogden Environmental. |
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Add-2 |
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RCI is an interstate-interagency partnership established in 1995 to ease commercialization of environmental technologies and to establish a collaborative strategy between private sector technology developers, federal agencies, and regulator bodies at national, state, and local levels. RCI was established to fix barriers to environmental technology commercialization through collaboration. RCI's goal is to strengthen and streamline regulatory review and acceptance of innovative environmental technologies across state and federal jurisdictions. RCI partners include: the departments of Commerce, Defense, and Energy; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; State of California Environmental Protection Agency, Southern States Energy Board, and the Western Governors' Association. For private sector participants, RCI provided: (1) a test bed for demonstrating innovative environmental technology; (2) verification of technology performance under specified conditions; and (3) facilitated expediting permits for future projects through multi state participation in technology demonstrations. Industrial partners can use the multi state verification statement to facilitate more expedient regulatory permitting, while accelerating site remediation schedules and lowering DOE's site mortgage costs.
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