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United States EPA-510-B-92-002
Environmental Protection November 1992
Agency
Solid Waste And Emergency Response (OS-420) WF
Filter
Canisters
A New Method
For Recovering
Free Product
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Some Information About
Filter Canisters
Filter canisters can help to clean up contaminated sites by.,
removing liquid petroleum, known as free product,
floating on groundwater.
The diagram shows a filter canister that has been lowered
into a monitoring well so that it contacts the layer of free
product floating on top of the groundwater. The filter is
constructed of a material which allows free product, but
no groundwater, to enter. Gravity causes free product to
trickle through the filter and then drip into the bottom of
the canister.
Canisters can store between 0.5 to 2.0 gallons of free
product The free product that is collected can be
removed from canisters either manually or automatically.
Manually operated canisters are pulled up and emptied
much like a bailer. Automated canisters are emptied
without removal by means of a suction pump. Recov-
ered free product can be up to 100-percent pure petro-
leum mat is ready to be reused or recycled.
Some Applications Of
Filter Canisters
Use filter canisters to:
« Initiate removal of free product immediately.
Remove free product at sites with low-permeability
soils or low-yield wells, where traditional pumping
methods are ineffective.
• Remove thin layers of free product and intermit-
tently occurring free product
• Complement other treatment techniques such as
pump-and-treat, vapor extraction, and air sparging.
For Additional Information
A more detailed discussion of filter canisters is presente
in an article entitled "Cutting the High Cost of Free
Product Removal," published in LUSTLine (Bulletin 16,
March 1992). To order this publication send $2.50 to:
NEIWPCC
85 Merrimac Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02114
800424-9364
You may contact manufacturers of filter canisters and
similiar devices that incorporate filters. As of October
1992, EPA is aware of the following manufacturers:
EnviroProducts, Inc.
1431 Renson Street, Suite A
Lansing, Michigan 48910
800368-4764
Halliburton NUS Environmental Corporation
16360 Park 10 Place, Suite 300
Houston, Texas 77084
713492-1888
Homer Creative Products, Lie.
212 Morton Street
Bay City, Michigan 48706
800443-0711
Keck Instruments, Lie.
P.O. Box 345
Williamston, Michigan 48895
800542-5681
ORS Environmental Equipment
32MillStreet
Grenville, New Hampshire 03048
800228-2310
PJ Products Company
30 Greenfield Lane
Scituate, Massachusetts 02066
617545-1685
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Some Advantages Of
Filter Canisters
Filter canisters have a variety of advantages.
• Filter canisters do not disturb or draw down the
groundwater level, so they minimize the "smear-
ing" of free product below the water table.
• Petroleum is separated from water, so discharging
and treating contaminated water is unnecessary.
• Filter canisters can be installed in monitoring wells
in only minutes.
• Permits are not required to install or operate filter
canisters.
• Canisters are relatively inexpensive; prices range
from $400 to $1000 per canister.
• More free product can be removed with less effort
than with traditional manual bailing.
• Canisters are reusable.
• No power source is required.
Some Limitations Of
Filter Canisters
Filter canisters do not remove fuel bound to soil or :
dissolved in groundwater. Filter canisters recover only
free product.
The rate of free-product recovery depends on the
thickness of the free product arid the rate of flow, into
the wen. Filter canisters do not control groundwater
gradient If free product is spreading quickly, separate
groundwater gradient control may be required to
prevent further migration of contamination. Several
filter canisters may be needed to capture all of the free
product
Because filter canisters have been in wide use for less
than a year only limited performance data are available.
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