Innovator in Tank and Remediation Projects
PROJECT PROFILES:
The solution-oriented engineering approach used by RT Environmental Services, Inc. (RT) and its commitment to high quality service require that it be an innovator in the use of new remediation technologies. RT leads the way in knowing if, when, and how to use these new technologies.
RT has completed hundreds of tank and petroleum pipeline groundwater investigation projects. These include tank management programs for companies with 100+ tanks and major petroleum company multi-site investigation/remediation projects.
In one project for a major car rental company in the Atlantic City area, gas vapors were detected while putting in sewers in a city street. When another consultant was unable to rectify the problem and the company was facing penalties from the Department of Environmental Protection, RT was called.
RT avoided penalties by locating the problem, identifying a solution, and designing a system that accounted for the company's location on a barrier island near the ocean. RT installed a groundwater recovery system of modular design using Calgon carbon pretreatment units. A special sensor was needed to detect salt water entering the system because salt water will foul the carbon and negatively affect the pretreatment system. On detection of salt water, the autodialer system calls RT and shuts the system down until the problem is corrected.
Other technologies employed on the site included pulse-pumping and continuous monitoring of the effluent.
The remedial cleanup project was completed in 18 months and now requires monitoring only.
In the New Jersey/Pennsylvania area alone, RT has completed over 100 projects using one or more of the investigation and remediation techniques described below.
Subsurface Soil Investigation
Detecting a release by installing soil borings and monitoring wells around former or existing underground storage tank systems is costly and provides limited information.
RT uses the GEOPROBE to provide more information at less cost to its clients. A hydraulically powered Geoprobe mounted on a vehicle is typically used for collecting soil core, soil gas and groundwater samples to depths of 40 feet in unconsolidated deposits. Its advantages are:
- Greater number of samples per day with high productivity
- Discrete samples from exact depths
- Collection of soil gas samples
- No disposal of soil cuttings
- Better accessibility into tight spaces and under canopies and overhangs
- Delineation of plumes before installing permanent monitoring wells, so that costly monitoring wells are only installed where needed.
Field Screening Water and Soil Analysis
The Hanby field test provides rapid onsite analyses for aromatic compounds, including BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene), gasoline, diesel, PCB's and more. The procedure extracts the aromatic compounds from the sample and provides a colorimetric indication of the concentration and type of contamination present.
The color of the reacted extract solution indicates the type of fuel (diesel, kerosene or gasoline) and the intensity of the color indicates the concentration.
RT uses the Hanby field test to screen samples and submit for laboratory confirmation only those required for regulatory compliance. This greatly reduces investigation costs.
Modular Pilot Test and Remedial Systems
RT currently has available modular systems for remediation. These allow for cost-effective and efficient pilot testing and remediation, with minimal need for design. As standard designs are used, permitting costs are also minimized.
Technologies we regularly employ as part of modular remedial systems include:
- Liquid Ring Pumping - Efficiently recovers recent releases by withdrawing a concentrated mixture of contaminated liquid and vapor at the top of the water table.
- Soil Vapor Extraction (SVE) - Used to extract volatiles from soils above the water table.
- Air Sparging - Enhances the effect of SVE by bubbling air into the water in wells and releasing more contaminants
- Pulse Pumping - Used to cycle wells to maximize contaminant recovery and minimize drawing fresh water into the system.
- Carbon Treatment- Used in both air and liquid phases, removes volatile organics from the waste stream.
- Biological Treatment - Used to efficiently treat mixed waste streams, in packed upflow towers.
- Air Stripping - Used to separate BTEX compounds from recovered groundwater.
Many of our modular systems are trailer-mounted, which means low cost implementation. Our trailer mounted modular equipment is now so popular that RT has sold completely outfitted trailer remedial systems to a major petroleum company and a national franchising chain with several remedial projects.
