Technology:
Thermal Desorption/Dehalogenation - Rotary kiln desorber with proprietary sand seals - Retort zone temperature 1,160xF - Preheat and retort zone residence time 30-40 minutes - Alkaline polyethylene glycol (APEG) sprayed onto contaminated soil to dechlorinate PCBs - Air emissions controlled using cyclones, baghouse, scrubbers, fractionator, condenser, gas-oil-water separator, and carbon adsorption - Water treated on site using filtration, oxidation, settling, air stripping, and carbon adsorption
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Cleanup Authority:
CERCLA and State: New York (per interagency agreement between EPA and USACE) - ROD Date: 9/30/85 - Fund Lead
SIC Code:
Not applicable |
Point of Contact:
Herb King (RPM) U.S. EPA Region 2 26
Federal Plaza New York, NY 10278
(212) 264-1129
Joe Salvatore
USACE
c/o 914 TAG, Bldg. 322
Niagara Falls Int'l. Airport
Niagara Falls, NY 14304
(716) 297-8531 |
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Contaminants:
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) - Stockpiled soil contained 10 to 5,000 mg/kg PCBs - Material feed to thermal desorber contained 11 to 68 mg/kg PCBs |
Waste Source:
Road Oiling - Application of PCB-containing waste oils to the roadways for dust control |
Type/Quantity of Media Treated:
Soil - 42,000 tons treated - 18.3% moisture; 12.8% clay; 30.3% silt; pH of 7.7 |
Purpose/Significance of Application:
The Wide Beach project is notable for being the first full-scale treat- ment application using SoilTech's ATP system in conjunction with APEG dechlorination to treat soil at a Superfund Site contaminated with PCBs |
Regulatory Requirements/Cleanup Goals:
- Soil - PCBs: 2 mg/kg - Air - PCBs: 3.33 x 10[Sub -5] lbs/hr, PEG: 4.16 x 10[Sub -5] lbs/hr, particulates: 0.05 gr/dscf |
Results:
- Soil - PCB concentrations reduced from up to 68 to less than 2 mg/kg - Air - Stack gas requirements met for PCBs, PEG, and particulates; dioxin/furan emissions equivalent to a 2,3,7,8-TCDD concentration of 0.707 ng/dscm |
Cost Factors:
- Actual total costs for cost elements directly associated with treatment - $11,600,000 (including solids preparation and handling, startup, equipment, and operation) - Before-treatment costs - $908,000 (including mobilization/preparatory work, monitoring) - After-treatment costs - $3,400,000 (disposal) |
Description:
Contamination of soil at the Wide Beach Development Superfund site (Wide Beach) resulted from the spraying of waste oil containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) over the roadways in the community to control dust. In response to a 1985 Record of Decision and a 1988 interagency agreement between EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), SoilTech's mobile anaerobic thermal processor (ATP) system was used in conjunction with alkaline polyethylene glycol (APEG) dechlorination from October 1990 to September 1991 to treat contaminated soil at Wide Beach. Approximately 42,000 tons of stockpiled soil contaminated with PCBs, mainly Arochlor 1254, at concentrations ranging from 10 to 5,000 mg/kg, were treated at Wide Beach. The USACE specified that the concentration of PCBs in soil treated at Wide Beach should not exceed 2 mg/kg. The Wide Beach project is notable for using full-scale treatment application using SoilTech's ATP system in conjunction with APEG dechlorination to treat soil at a Superfund Site contaminated with PCBs.
During the full-scale treatment of soils at Wide Beach, samples of untreated soil were occasionally collected from the feed conveyor of the ATP system. The concentrations of PCBs measured in these samples ranged from 11 to 68 mg/kg, with an average PCB concentration of 24 mg/kg. Samples of the treated soil were collected either from the treated solids staging area or the tailings conveyor of the ATP system. The concentrations of PCBs measured in these samples were generally less than or near the detection limit (approximately 0.5 mg/kg) and all samples were below the 2 mg/kg cleanup level during the treatment application. A lack of structural integrity in the treated soils led to a need for off-site disposal.
The cost for this full-scale application was $11,600,000, for costs directly associated with treatment. The level of dechlorination achieved by the ATP/APEG process was measured during a demonstration test conducted prior to full-scale operation of the system. The demonstration test results indicated that the ATP/APEG process dechlorinated 76 percent of the PCBs that entered the ATP system during the test. However, this figure does not account for dechlorination from recycling residual oil through the system. In addition, an EPA SITE Demonstration was conducted during the full-scale operation in May of 1991. The SITE Demonstration results indicated that 98 percent of the PCBs that entered the ATP system were dechlorinated. |
