&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Research and Development (481)
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response (5102G)
EPA/542/F-99/025
November 1999
Lasagna™ Public-Private
Partnership Completes Work
RTDF
Cwrent RTDF
Action Teams
Bi0remediatio» Consortium
IJNERT Soil-Metals Action
Permeable Reactive
Barriers Action Team
Organic^ Action Teandi
Sediments Remediation
Action Team
The Lasagna™ Partnership, one of the original Action Teams of the
Remediation Technologies Development Forum (RTDF), completed
its work in 1999. The RTDF was created in 1992 by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to foster collaboration
between the public and private sectors in developing innovative solu-
tions to mutual hazardous waste problems. Beginning the 1994, the
Partnership—consisting of Monsanto, DuPont, General Electric, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE)—-jointly developed and tested the inte-
grated, in situ remedial technology, referred to as the Lasagna™
Remediation Technology. The group's multi-year effort culminated in
the selection and approval in 1998 of Lasagna™ for the commercial
cleanup of a large contaminated cell at DOE's Paducah Gaseous
Diffusion Plant (PGDP) at Paducah, Kentucky.
The Lasagna™ Process
Lasagna™ treats contaminated soil in situ by coupling electrically-
driven transport of contaminants with in situ treatment processes. In a
vertical configuration that has been successfully tested in the field,
the planar electrodes consists of a mixture of granular carbon and
iron filings, and are emplaced in the soil at the outer perimeter of the
embedded contaminant. Several planar treatment zones are also
emplaced at various intervals between the electrodes, directly into the
contaminated zone. The contaminant is picked up in water and trans-
ported through the treatment zones in a process known as "electro-
osmosis." The vertical configuration of the technology has been
determined to be effective for remediation or "dechlorination" of
trichloroethylene (TCE) in either low-permeability or mixed soils,
and it is believed it will be effective for other contaminants as well.
On a more limited scale, EPA also has successfully tested a horizon-
tal configuration of the technology at Rickenbacker Air National
Guard Base (ANGB) in Columbus, OH.
Accomplishments
Field tests of the vertical Lasagna™ process were conducted in test
plots located at the PGDP. This site was chosen because a specific
plot of soil at the plant had been contaminated with TCE, and the soil
was low-permeable clay, for which Lasagna™ is uniquely suited.
Operations were conducted in two phases: Phase I and Phase Ha. In
Phase I, the treatment zones contained activated carbon in order to trap TCE
from the soil. The operations began in January 1995 with a 10' X 15' X 15'
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deep test cell. Phase I lasted several months, and over
99% of the TCE was successfully removed from the soil.
In Phase Da, which began operations in the summer of
1996, a larger test cell was treated. The cell measured 21'
X 30* X 45* deep. Also, iron filings were utilized in the
treatment zones to dechlorinate TCE in sitii instead of only
trapping it as in Phase I. During Phase Ha, one or more
zones, which contained unexpectedly large quantities of
Dease Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL), were
encountered. With an added six. months of operations, the
technology proved effective in treating the heavy concen-
trations of DNAPL, with most test sample locations clean-
ing up either below the required standard of 5.6 ppm or
only marginally above it before power was shut down for
soil sampling. Lasagna™ once again proved to be an
effective technology for decontamination of TCE in low-
permeability soils, even under heavy DNAPL conditions,
which had been a key project objective.
Through the Rapid Commercialization Initiative (RCI),
seven states, EPA, DOE, and the industrial members of
the Partnership collaborated in the Phase Ha demonstration
at PGDP. In March 1998, they signed a Verification
Statement, indicating their acceptance of cost and per-
formance data from the demonstration, facilitating regula-
tocy acceptance of the technology.
Based on the success of the field tests, DOE selected the
vertical Lasagna™ for cleanup of the entire Solid Waste
Management Unit at PGDP and included it in the Record
of Decision (ROD) submitted through the regulatory
process. The ROD was approved in mid-summer 1998.
Tlie Rickenbacker ANGB test of the horizontal configura-
tion of Lasagna(tm) has been completed. Final sampling
is pending. Test cells were 10 feet in diameter and were
installed in soil containing trichloroethylene (TCE). One
cell had treatment zones of zero-valent iron and the other
had a biological treatment zone that was periodically
flushed with methane to stimulate the methanotrophic bac-
teria that were inoculated into the treatment zone. These
bacteria produce soluble methyl-monooxygenase, an
enzyme that dechlorinates TCE. Another test cell served
as a control for monitoring natural attenuation processes.
The work at this site was successful in developing equip-
ment and procedures for making electrical and hydraulic
connection with hydraulic fracture electrodes (graphite)
and treatment zones. The test demonstrated that horizon-
till Lasagna(tm) installations are feasible, can maintain
electrokinetic and hydraulic transport of water and con-
taminants, and result in major dechlorination of TCE and
daughter products. Additional testing is underway at
Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, NE.
Technical reports on the research, development, and test-
ing of both configurations of the Lasagna™ process are
available from the RTDF World Wide Web site.
Licensing Information
The Monsanto company, which holds two patents
on the process, is now offering the vertical configu-
ration of the Lasagna™ technology commercially
through license agreements for treating soil contam-
inated with TCE or other "chlorinated aliphatic
organics" at other locations. Prospective licensees
or owners of contaminated sites may contact Dr. Sa
V. Ho at Monsanto, (314) 469-5179, or Mr. John
Merz at Monsanto Enviiro-Chem, (314) 275-5738.
RTDF
W You Like
More Information?
For information, on the KEBF at other Action Teams, please visit the
KTDF World Wide Web site at www.rtdf.org or contact:
Robert Qlexsey
U.S. Environmental Protection; Agency
26 West Martin Luther Kinglpve
, Cincinnati,,QH,45268 "'
E-rnall: otexsey.bob@epamaif.epa.gov
5 Walter W. Kovalick, Jr., Ph.D.
'U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M. Stew*, £W (51026}
Washington, DC 20460
Tel: 703-603-9910
E-mail: kovalick.walter@epamail.epa.gov
To request other KTDF fact sheets, please write/call
P.O. Box 42419
Cincinnati, Ofl 45242
Phones S00-490-919S
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