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Drake Chemical Superfund (DCS) Site, Operable Unit 3

Site Name:

Drake Chemical Superfund Site

Location:

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania

Period of
Operation:

- Trial Burn: 1/25/97 to 2/4/97
- Full-Scale Operation: 3/4/98 to 4/22/99

Cleanup
Type:

Full-scale Remedial Action

Vendor:

Mr. Frederick Santucci
OHM Remediation Services
180 Myrtle StreetLock Haven, PA 17745
(570) 748-4102
santucci@ohm.com

Technology:
On-Site Incineration·

- The incineration system consisted of a co-current, rotary kiln and a secondary combustion chamber (SCC
- The kiln operated at an exit gas temperature above 1599 oF and the SCC operated above 1801°F
- Hot gases exiting the SCC passed through an evaporative cooler, a baghouse, a venturi quench unit, and a caustic scrubber.
- Excavated soil was dried and screened to remove oversized organic and inorganic debris.
- Excavated soil and shredded combustible material were fed to the incinerator.
- Treated soil and fly ash were stockpiled for compliance sampling.
- Treated soil and fly ash that met treatment standards were used as fill material at the site.

Cleanup Authority:
CERCLA - Remedial Action
- ROD signed 1992
- ESD signed 1995

Project Management:
Mr. William Werntges
USACE, Harrisburg Area Office
CENAB-COF-HA285
18th StreetDDRE, Bldg S-285
Newcumberland, PA 17070
(717) 782-8750
william.h.werntges@usace.army.mil

Mr. Mike Ogden
USACE, Harrisburg Area Office
CENAB-COF-HA285
18th StreetDDRE, Bldg S-285
Newcumberland, PA 17070
(717) 782-3750
m.odgen@usace.army.mil
Regulatory Contacts:
Mr. Gregg Crystall
U.S. EPA Region 3
1650 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029
(215) 814-3207
crystall.gregg@epa.gov

Mr. Michael Welch
Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection
208 West 3rd Street, Suite 101
Williamsport, PA 17701-6448
(570) 321-6518
welch.michael@a1.pader.gov

Contaminants:
- 470 to 1,500,000 mg/kg b-Naphthylamine
- 3.8 to 8,200 mg/kg Fenac
- Halogenated and non-halogentated VOCs and SVOCs detected in soil

Waste Source:
Two lined and two unlined waste management lagoons; disposal of drums of chemical waste, chemical sludge and demolition debris on the ground surface and in the shallow subsurface

Type/Quantity of Media Treated:
- 273,509 tons (180,296 cubic yards) of contaminated soil
- Moisture Content: 17.6% average, range of 10 to 25.5%
- BTU Value: 274 Btu/lb

Purpose/Significance of Application:
Remediation designed to provide permanent destruction of soil contaminants; no long-term waste management requirements following on-site backfill of incinerator ash

Regulatory Requirements/Cleanup Goals:
- Destruction and Removal Efficiency (DRE) of 99.99% for POHC.
- Treated soil objectives were 55 mg/kg for b-Naphthylamine and 1,000 mg/kg for Fenac.
- Treated soil and fly ash with TCLP concentrations in excess 25 times the drinking water standard for any one of eight metals were stabilized.
- Air emission requirements included control of metals, hydrogen chloride, total dioxins and furans, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, and particulate matter in the stack gas.

Results:
- Sampling of treated soil indicated that the cleanup goals were met. Three percent of the soil required re-treatment to achieve cleanup levels.
- Two batches of fly ash required stabilization prior to on-site backfill
- Emissions data from the trial burn and full-scale operations indicated that all emissions standards were met.

Cost Factors:
- The total cost for this project was $112,381,000, with a technology-specific cost of $92,930,000.
- The technology-specific unit cost was $340 per ton of soil treated.

Description:
The DCS Site included a chemical manufacturing facility that operated from 1951 to 1982, producing chemical intermediates used in dye, cosmetic, textile, pharmaceutical, pesticide and herbicide manufacturing. Two lined wastewater treatment lagoons, a dry unlined sludge lagoon, and an unlined leachate lagoon were constructed at the site during the late 1950s, probably for use as waste impoundments. Drums of chemical waste, chemical sludge, and demolition debris were disposed on the ground surface and in the shallow subsurface at the site.

Site soil and chemical sludge were contaminated with VOCs, SVOCs including b-naphthylamine, the herbicide Fenac, and metals. These compounds were detected throughout the site regardless of sampling depth. A ROD was signed in September 1988, specifying on-site incineration as the remedial technology for addressing soil contamination at the site. Contaminated soil/sludge/sediment and groundwater were identified as Operable Unit (OU) 3.

Site work for construction of the incinerator commenced in April 1995. Incinerator shake down and a clean burn were conducted in January 1996. The incinerator was then shut down until September 1996 due to a lawsuit filed to stop the remediation project. System optimization and preliminary testing were conducted in the Fall of 1996. The trial burn and risk burns were conducted in January and February 1997. Following approval of the test results, the incinerator was put into full-scale operation in March 1998. All site soil was excavated down to the water table (about 15 feet below ground surface) and treated. The total area of the DCS Site is 9.6 acres. The incineration system consisted of a co-current, rotary kiln followed by a SCC. After confirming that treated soil and fly ash met the cleanup criteria, the materials were backfilled at the site. Treatment was completed in April 1999.