In Situ Cleanup Cuts Conventional-method Cost 75%
CleanOX Environmental Services Inc. (Chatham, NJ) has cleaned an industrial site in suburban Boston in four days. The contaminants constituted chlorinated solvents, waste oil, ink dyes, and other fluids left by a newsprint company that formerly occupied the property. The site measured 80 by 40 feet and extended from a depth of 2 to 17 feet, with waste concentrations of 111 ppm in both the water table and the soil matrices.
CleanOX conducted preliminary bench tests on water samples from the site, following that with a pilot field test to verify treatment effectiveness. Site study data by the consultant, TGG Environmental Inc. (Needham, MA), proved so accurate that the treatment reduced the concentration levels of contaminants to 3 ppm, with no further remediation required, CleanOX said. According to a TGG spokesperson, early estimates for cleanup using conventional methods ranged from $150,000 to $200,000. The in-situ process cost about $40,000--less than had been estimated. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection afterward approved an application for site closure.
The services' proprietary method uses Fenton-like chemistry to create hydroxyl radicals in situ. These cleave the bonds of contaminants and reduce their concentrations. Once the required numbers of wells are installed and developed, the CleanOX chemistry is injected into the contaminated zones.