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PetroFix Eliminates Hydrocarbon Plume Migration
Case study highlights:
- Permeable reactive barrier installed in underground car park in Northern Italy
- The barrier has stopped the offsite migration of a petroleum hydrocarbon plume onto a public road and archeological site.
- The in situ remediation has met the stringent cleanup target, positioning the site for regulatory closure, despite the challenges posed by the restricted access onsite.
This case study explains the installation of a PetroFix permeable reactive barrier below a new office building in Northern Italy. An excavation was conducted over a limited footprint to remove some of the more highly impacted soils. Beyond the excavation limits, pressure grouting was conducted to stabilize the residual soil contamination, prior to construction commencing. Once construction was completed, Planeta Studio Associato, a leading environmental consultancy based in Italy, collaborated with REGENESIS to develop an in situ remediation plan for treating the groundwater contaminant plume.
In Situ PFAS Remediation Protects Offsite Environment at Airport in Norway
Case study highlights:
- SourceStop® Liquid, a colloidal activated carbon (CAC), was applied as a permeable sorptive barrier to reduce PFAS migration hydraulically.
- The permeable sorptive barrier was designed and implemented downstream of the excavation area to mitigate the ongoing dissolved-phase transport of PFAS during and post-excavation.
- Through nine months of monitoring, the two primary PFAS of concern, PFOA and PFOS, have been reduced by 96% and 98%, respectively, while Total PFAS has been reduced by 94%.
At Haugesund Airport in Norway, Avinor and their environmental consultant COWI implemented a remediation plan to reduce the migration of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in groundwater from a fire training ground. An in situ remediation solution was used to minimize the further migration of PFAS in groundwater during and after the source removal measures were completed.
Petroleum Plume Mitigated to Protect Flathead Lake
Case study highlights:
- PetroFix barrier stops Benzene and other hydrocarbons from entering Flathead Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River
- A permeable reactive barrier (PRB) using PetroFix determined to be the most viable and cost-effective strategy to quickly halt plume’s movement toward the lake
- Benzene concentrations remain non-detect for 3.5 years thus far
In the 1990s, environmental investigations of a legacy petroleum hydrocarbon release in downtown Polson, MT identified a large undefined light non-aqueous phase liquid (i.e., LNAPL) plume, with benzene and other contaminants migrating toward Flathead Lake. Following a comprehensive review of remedial alternatives, environmental consultant WCEC determined that installing a permeable reactive barrier (PRB) using PetroFix Remediation Fluid would be the most viable and cost-effective strategy to quickly halt the dissolved phase plume’s movement toward the lake. Following the installation of the PetroFix PRB, the threat of dissolved phase contaminant migration into the lake was immediately mitigated, with these results sustained for over 3.5 years thus far, as performance monitoring continues.
New York Brownfield Achieves Site Closure
Case study highlights:
- Based on successful performance results, a pump-and-treat system was decommissioned in 2020, and the NYSDEC granted the site closure in August 2021
- By not having to operate and maintain the pump-and- treat system, substantial energy and cost savings were realized in this period
- Roux’s agile site management, making the switch from an ex situ to a PlumeStop in situ approach, saved time and money for their client
This case study reviews a former metals manufacturing facility in upstate New York contaminated with chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) from the plating operations, predominantly comprised of tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE). A previously installed groundwater pump-and-treat system significantly reduced CVOC concentrations in groundwater. However, after a few years, the reinjection wells became clogged and no longer accepted water. This required modification of the approach. The ex situ pump-and-treat remedy maintained plume control. However, to continue this approach would have required well replacement. Additionally, these systems are well known to reach an asymptotic boundary condition above the low, part-per-billion cleanup targets for CVOCs and are prone to rebound once shut down. Such was the case at the site. In response to these conditions, Roux (formerly Benchmark), a leading engineering and redevelopment consulting company, quickly adapted the remedial strategy, favoring an in situ approach to achieve the project objectives and facilitate site closure.
Site Goals Met Within 60 Days
Case study highlights:
- TCE contribution to the plume was eliminated following the application.
- This reduction has been continuously maintained more than three years post-application.
- The highly controlled PlumeStop injection resulted in no surfacing inside the building.
This case study reviews the site of a large-scale in situ groundwater treatment of trichloroethene (TCE) at a former industrial manufacturing facility in the Midwest that quickly achieved and then sustained performance objectives. TCE and low concentrations of other chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs), cis-1,2-dichloroethene, vinyl chloride, and 1,1,1-trichloroethane, were treated using an innovative sorption-enhanced reductive dechlorination (ERD) approach virtually eliminating contaminants by the first monitoring event within 60 days of application. A permeable reactive barrier (PRB), installed at the site property boundary, has maintained 100 percent reduction in TCE for over three years, meeting the application’s performance objectives by cutting off the site’s contribution to a more extensive groundwater TCE plume.
Combined Remedy Rapidly Achieves Targets to Address Chlorinated Solvent Impacts
Case study highlights:
- A multi‑faceted remedial solution mitigates CVOC contamination beneath an active business
- Successful application overcomes challenging site conditions
- Use of advanced colloidal remediation technologies from REGENESIS accelerates site toward closure with Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB)
This case study reviews an active industrial facility in Southern California where PlumeStop and S-MicroZVI successfully treated CVOC contamination. The combined remedy quickly reduced CVOC concentrations below targets, priming the site for future regulatory closure. The responsible party retained Roux, a leading environmental remediation consultant, to complete the remediation project. Specifically, the remedy needed to (1) reduce CVOCs in soil, soil vapor, and groundwater to background contamination levels; (2) minimize disruption to the site tenant occupying the building; (3) coordinate with offsite property owners to complete the work; and (4) complete all work within established budgets and timeframes.
Treatment Solution for Large TCE Plume Saves Client $380,000
Case study highlights:
- Large TCE plume effectively treated using combined technology solution from REGENESIS, including PlumeStop and S-MicroZVI
- Accurate mapping of CVOC flux zones using FluxTracers saves $380,000 in project costs
- Safe and efficient installation meets time and budget requirements
This case study reviews a former manufacturing facility in Indianapolis that had released high levels of chlorinated solvents into the groundwater, creating a large plume extending to the White River. A combined in situ biogeochemical reduction solution rapidly mitigated the threat to river and saved the client $380,000. Wilcox Environmental Engineering, Inc., a leading engineering and consulting firm based in Indianapolis, was hired by the responsible party to investigate the site. After evaluating the remedial options, Wilcox worked with REGENESIS to design a solution for in situ remediation of the TCE plume using biogeochemical reduction in the onsite plume area and sorption-enhanced chemical reduction in the offsite plume. This approach entailed placing permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) perpendicular to groundwater flow in strategic plume areas.
Challenging Fast-Moving, High Concentration Chlorinated Solvent Plume Effectively Treated
Case study highlights:
- PlumeStop PRB treats CVOCs for >3 years in high-mass-flux aquifer
- Design Verification Testing (DVT) used passive flux samplers (PFS) to better understand contaminant mass flux
- Permeable reactive barrier installed using advanced colloidal technologies demonstrates pilot test’s effectiveness
A permeable reactive barrier (PRB) incorporating PlumeStop® and S-MicroZVI® technologies was applied to a fast-moving, high-concentration chlorinated solvent plume in groundwater as part of an initial field-scale application to assess the approach’s effectiveness. Within a month of the application, the highest concentrations were reduced by 98 percent. The single injection
has maintained at least 99% reductions of chlorinated ethenes for 3.5 years in the barrier treatment wells. Hamp, Mathews & Associates, Inc. (HMA), working on behalf of EGLE,
collaborated with REGENESIS for developing a remedial approach to address the contaminant plume.
High Levels of TCE Remediated at Former Chemical Manufacturing Facility, UK
Case study highlights:
- Combined ERD/ISCR treatment has achieved the site’s remedial objectives rapidly and cost-effectively, allowing the site redevelopment to continue
- Lines of evidence suggested high rates of dechlorination continued to occur and that full destruction of the contamination was being achieved
- The in situ application continues to effectively degrade the chlorinated solvent contaminants, reducing the contamination concentrations, overall plume footprint, and exposure risk
- The treatment serves as a model for an effective plume management strategy for large-scale, high-concentration chlorinated solvent sites, including those with significant DNAPL mass
With many site investigations and remediation attempts made over >30 years by other consultants and contractors, Vertase FLI was appointed to undertake the design, management and ultimate sign off of the remediation, which included ex situ bioremediation, asbestros management and a complex upfront site investigation and verification exercise. Vertase employed REGENESIS to remediate a portion of the site where the groundwater was found to be highly contaminated with TCE and lesser concentrations of cis-1,2 DCE. REGENESIS provided an in situ treatment strategy and turnkey solution for the chlorinated solvent source area.
PlumeStop & S-MicroZVI Barrier Reduces Chlorinated VOCs by 95% in 1 Month
Case study highlights:
- Treatment approach consisted of in situ chemical reduction with PlumeStop in a permeable reactive barrier (PRB)
- Approximately 32,000 lbs. of the colloidal PlumeStop and S-MicroZVI amendments were co-injected to form the PRB
- The colloidal PlumeStop and S-MicroZVI amendments rapidly reduced CVOC concentrations to below or near the detection levels
At an ongoing residential development in Southwest Sweden, low CVOC levels in the groundwater required a remedial solution to protect the newly constructed buildings against vapour intrusion. RGS Nordic (now: Sortera) asked REGENESIS for an in situ remediation solution. PlumeStop® Liquid Activated Carbon and S-MicroZVI® were injected during the ongoing construction of the residential building complex. Despite spatial limitations to complete the work, the injection was successfully carried out, quickly reducing the concentrations of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) by 95% and removing the potential risk for vapour intrusion of CVOCs into the residential complex.
