United States
                            Environmental Protection
                            Agency
Office of
Research and Development
Washington DC 20460
EPA/600/M-91/008
March 1991
Vol. 4
                            ORD  ENGINEERING

                            HIGHLIGHTS	
                            A bi-monthly compilation of EPA's Office of Research and Development engineering research activities
                            and results and related research activities in pollution prevention and mitigation. To discuss any of these
                            activities, contact the ORD lead person listed below.  For general information, contact Darlenc Williams of
                            the Office of Technology Transfer and Regulatory Support, Phone : FTS 382-7891.
HAZARDOUS WASTE

Mining Waste Treatment Pilot Begins in Montana

  The   United  States  Congress  recently  appropriated
$3,500,000 to  establish a pilot program for  treating mining
wastes   in  Butte,  Montana.      RREL   will  lead  the
implementation  of  the  project  which will  involve  an
investigation and evaluation of promising new technologies
for  mining waste treatment.  Heavy  metals contamination,
such as lead  in soils, waste piles, and other areas, were
identified as  a continuing  threat  to public  health and  the
environment in the western U.S.   In establishing the pilot
program, EPA was directed  to collaborate with DOE's current
program in Butte and with  The College  of Mineral Sciences
and Technology (Montana Tech).  The mining wastes present
in the  Butte  area have had a   negative  impact on  the
environment and a large  portion of the mined area has been
designated as the Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund site,
48th on the 1990 National Priority List.  (Jonathan Herrmann,
RREL, FTS 684-7839)

New Technique Developed  For  On-Sile   Monitoring at
Superfund Sites

  ORD  has developed a new portable monitoring technique
for hazardous waste contamination at Superfund sites that will
allow rapid and cost  effective  screening to determine  the
extent of contamination and the  effectiveness of cleanup
procedures.  The technique detects nitroaromatics in ground
water,  soil, and human blood  serum  using systems of
antibodies and  proteins that operate in the same manner as the
over-the-counter pregnancy  test kit. (Nitroaromatics are used
in the manufacture of plastics, pesticides, and  explosives such
as TNT.)

  This  method,  widely  used by  immunologists to  detect
diseases and other conditions in humans, has  been refined to
allow scientists to detect amounts as small  as  one part  per
billion of important  drugs,  herbicides, and pesticides.   The
sensitivity  of  the analysis, called  an immunoassay, is
comparable to the analyses performed with  more sensitive
instruments   usually  found  in   commercial  analytical
laboratories. This immunoassay can be done  at a fraction of
the cost of commercial laboratory testing, $2.50 per analysis
as compared to hundreds of dollars.  It is also very portable
thereby allowing tests to be  performed in the field right at the
site  of  contamination. The monitoring  technique  is being
evaluated and field tested, and efforts will  be made to
commercially  produce the  test kit.   (Jeanette Van Emon,
EMSL-LV, FTS 545-2154)
 Organics Separation Process Slated for SITE Demonstration

   In  January  1991,  the  DchyroTcch  Carver-Green fie Id
 process was installed at the RREL Edison, NJ facility.  It is
 undergoing shakedown and optimi/alion tests prior to a SITE
 demonstration of the process during the summer of 1991. The
 Carver-Greenfield process is a separation process that uses
 food grade oil to extract organic contamination from soils and
 sludges. Evaporation, centrifugalion,  and distillation arc also
 used to completely separate  multiphase wastes such as soils
 and sludges into their constituent solid, aqueous and organic
 phases.  This type of separation will facilitate the ultimate
 treatment of each of the three phases, thus allowing a more
 complete cleanup of previously hard to treat waste.

   The process was accepted into the SITE program in 1989
 and is scheduled  for demonstration at the PAB Oil Site  in
 Abbeyvillc, LA.  DchydroTcch Corporation of East Hanover,
 NJ, has extensively refurbished their existing field unit  in
 anticipation of this demonstration.  Since they arc a relatively
 small company, DchydroTcch docs  not currently have a
 facility in which to test their newly renovated process.   In
 order to provide them with a convenient location in which to
 complete this very important  testing, EPA has agreed to allow
 them to temporarily install their equipment at the Edison, NJ
 facility. (Hugh Masters, RREL-Edison, FTS 340-6678)

 Screening Level Trealability Protocols Developed

   RREL has developed screening level trcatabihty protocols
 for remedy screening programs. These protocols will provide
 detailed  procedures  for  laboratory  technicians  affording
 greater testing uniformity.   Protocols  for  the first two
 technologies, soil  washing and in-situ soil vapor  extraction,
 are complete. Protocols  for soil  flushing,  in-situ  steam
 stripping, and solvent extraction  technologies will follow.
 Evaluations of the protocols are scheduled  for this spring.
 (Michael Borst, RREL-Edison, FTS 340-6631)

 Incineration Evaluated for Reducing K088 Listed Waste

   The EPA is under Congressional  mandate to reduce the
 volume and/or loxicity of many  listed  hazardous wastes.
 K088,  spent  pot  liners  from  the  primary reduction   of
 aluminum, is a listed waste.  Incineration has been identified
 as a  method  to  reduce the concentration  of polynuclcar
 aromatic compounds contained in the waste as well as the
 elevated  cyanide  levels. Recently,  RREL's Incineration
 Research Facility (IRF) was used to conduct the evaluation  of
 incineration  for  K088  as part  of the  Best  Demonstrated
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Available Treatment Program for listed wastes.  The specific
objectives  of  the  incineration  tests  are  to  completely
characterize the composition  of the feed and incineration
residuals in terms of hazardous components and  determine the
applicability of  incineration as  a  treatment  technology for
K088 waste. Additional research will be conducted to compare
the cyanide data (K088) to the  laboratory data collected in
conjunction   with  RREL's   Incinerability  Index   model
development. (Robert Thurnau, RREL, FTS 684-7692)

Hydraulic Fracturing Sucessfully Demonstrated at Xerox Site

  A demonstration of hydraulic fracturing of subsurface soils
was successfully conducted by RREL in clean soils adjacent to
the contaminated soil at the Xerox Corporation site in Chicago,
IL.  Six fractures were  created at one  borehole, with depths
ranging from 6 to 15 feet. The fractures, which were filled with
coarse sand, were up to 20 feet long and 0.2 inch thick.
Hydraulic fracturing at a hazardous waste site will improve the
rate of recovery of volatile materials and increase the radius of
influence of recovery  wells, resulting in lower cost and more
rapid clean-up at the site. Based on the results, the remedial
contractor for Xerox, in  conjunction with  RREL, will conduct
a further pilot scale demonstration of hydraulic fracturing to
enhance vapor  extraction in  a portion of the  contaminated
soils. (Herb Pahrcn, RREL, FTS 684-7874)

Technical Assistance  Provided  to Clear Creek,  Colorado
Superfund Site

   Environmental problems associated with acid  mine drainage
and  metals leaching from tailings and  other mine wastes are
major concerns at the Clear Creek  Superfund Site in Denver,
CO.  RREL is  providing technical assistance to Region VIII
for remedial technology selection and evaluation of the effect
of remediating the mine drainage on the overall water quality
of Clear Creek.  Through a  jointly funded  effort with the
Region,  RREL and  its  contractor will develop  data  on
relationships between metal species and the observed in-slream
loxicity;  including chemical manipulations that may reduce
bioavailable metals in the stream; determine the  role of diffuse
metal loads in preventing improvements in water quality; and
determine the optimum chemical conditions in the stream and
point source discharges to alleviate stream toxicity.

     In the  second phase of the project,  scientists will examine
ihc  limitations  of the WASP4  model to accurately predict
improvements in water quality and  the necessary model inputs
to improve predictability under changes in major ion and toxic
metals  transformations.   In  addition,  the  effectiveness of
additional  remedial  alternatives will be analyzed and  a
monitoring program for  in-strcam biological conditions will be
established. (Ed Bates, RREL, FTS 684-7774)

NET AC Workshop Looks at R&D Commercialization

   Under the auspices of OEETD,  the National  Technology
Applications Corporation (NETAC) conducted a workshop for
the    commercialization   of  innovative    environmental
technologies as part of the Second International Symposium on
Field  Screening Methods for Hazardous Waste  and Toxic
Chemicals. The Symposium  was sponsored by a variety of
Federal agencies including EPA and was hosted  by EMSL-LV.

    The  NETAC Workshop  was  designed  to provide  the
technology developers  an  overview  of the  environmental
industry, a  model  of the  commercialization  process,  the
impediments and barriers to timely and orderly development,
and critical technical and business success factors that must be
concurrently addressed. Sixty-eight registrants participated in
the workshop and  several firms  indicated an  interest  in
exploring ways to cooperate with EPA and NETAC. NETAC
is  a product of a four-year cooperative  agreement between
OEETD and the University of Pittsburgh  Trust,  and was
established to catalyze diffusion and  commercialization  of
federal  and  private  sector  environmental  research  and
development. (Michael Mastracci, OEETD, FTS 475-8933)

START Team Assists Region II Carlstadt, NJ Site

    Technical assistance  is  being  provided  by RREL's
Superfund Technical Assistance Response Team (START) to
the S.C.P. Carlstadt, NJ  site.  The S.C.P. Carlstadt site is  a
six-acre, inactive  chemical waste processing site.   Two
treatability studies, incineration and material  handling, pertain
to the selection of remedies for the fill material  of the first
operable unit at the site. The contamination of concern here is
a  mixture of  heavy  metals with  volatile and semivolatile
organics.

     The incineration  treatability study is being conducted at
the Incineration  Research Facility  (IRF),  in Arkansas.  The
material handling treatability study to control VOC emissions
from soil  excavation  consists  of two parts.  The first part,
conducted at RREL  in  Cincinnati, is a  development of a
general  method to evaluate a potential for a volatile  release
during excavation.  The second part,  conducted at RREL's
Edison,  New Jersey facility, is  the selection of  methods to
control  VOC  emissions  at  this  site.    (Richard Koustas,
RREL-Edison,FTS  340-6898)
BIOREMEDIATION

Controlling Organics Stripped From Hazardous Waste Liquid
Streams or Contaminated Soil

   The biodegradation of gaseous volatile organic compounds
(VOCs) by microorganisms in a packed bed filter (biofilter) is
a promising technology for controlling organics stripped from
hazardous waste liquid streams or contaminated soils. RREL
is funding  and providing technical advice on a University oi'
Cincinnati (UC) project that is evaluating this concept.

     The most successful of the four biofilters being  operated
by UC is packed with granular activated carbon (GAC) and is
being maintained aerobically.  Following the recent discovery
and  correction of a nutrient  limiting condition and  other
minor barriers, significant  quantities (>85%) of three test
compounds  (TCE,  methylene  chloride, and  toluene) are
biodegrading at gas  flow detention times of several  minutes.
Operational difficulties are continuing to  be resolved for the
aerobic biofilter,  but, overall, the technology appears to hold
significant potential  for eventual application to a broad range
of hazardous  waste  gaseous VOC treatment situations.  An
additional aerobic biofilter will go on line in  the near future
that  will  be fed with additional  gaseous  compounds of
petroleum  derivation.   It will be packed with  an  inorganic
ceramic  material  that is  non-adsorptive  and will  hopefully
resolve some of the operational problems (primarily excessive
biogrovvth)   experienced  with  the  GAC   unit.    (Steven
Safferrnan, RREL, FTS 684-7350).

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Results of Bioremediation at Alaska Oil Spill

  A  bioremediation  experiment  was  conducted  which
consisted of setting  up  treatment plots  in  a randomized
complete block design replicated fourfold on  Disk Island in
Prince William Sound.  Samples were collected during four
nine-day intervals and  analyzed  for changes  in  oil residue
weight, total resolvable alkanes,  individual alkanes, and oil
degrader numbers.   Data were evaluated by analysis  of
variance using Statistical Analysis System software.  Results
indicated no statistically  significant differences  at  the  5%
significance level  among  the  four treatments  in the 27 day
time period of the demonstration.  Although the oil residue
weight was high to begin with (approximately 3500 mg/kg of
sediment), the total resolvable alkane hydrocarbons comprised
less than  0.5%  of the  total  oil  mass,  indicating  the
contamination remaining on Disk Island consists  mostly  of
poorly  degradable  tar  and  asphalt.  This  suggests  that
substantially  more time must  be given  to  the  evaluation  of
bioremediation of highly weathered crude oil before a proper
conclusion  is  possible  regarding  enhancement  either by
nutrient application or microbial product inoculation. (Albert
Venosa, RREL, FTS 684-7668)
POLLUTION PREVENTION

ORD Conducts Waste Minimization Assessment

   An ORD team  recently completed a waste minimization
assessment at the  Bureau of Engraving  and Printing.  The
assessment team examined all production processes for stamps
and currency.  Of particular concern was the generation of ink
sludges from intaglio,  a printmaking process used to prevent
counterfeiting money that wastes over 80%  of the ink used.
Waste  minimization options  will be  proposed based on an
analysis of operational feasibility and  economic viability   In
April, the final report will be available which will summarize
the activities  examined at  the  Bureau and propose waste
minimization options.   These options will be evaluated for
their economic viability, and operational feasibility. (Kenneth
R. Stone, RREL, FTS 684-7474).

New Industry-Specific Pollution  Prevention Guides  To Be
Developed

   In January,  1991, RREL initiated the  development of
pollution prevention guides  for the following industries and
commercial sectors:  metal finishing, thermal metal working,
non-agricultural  pesticide applicators, building construction
and trade, and mechanical equipment repair.  Scheduled for
publication by September, 1991, the guides will be the newest
addition to the popular  industry-specific pollution prevention
guide series. (Teresa Harten (RREL) FTS 684-7565).
AIR

Ozone Depleting Halon-1301 Alternatives Sought

  AEERL  recently initiated a joint project with the North
Slope  oil  companies  and  the  New  Mexico  Engineering
Research Institute (NMERI) to investigate new chemicals
which   may   serve  as  alternatives  to  the  stratospheric
ozone-depleting   Halon-1301,   currently  used  as  a  fire
extinguisher.  On the North  Slope of Alaska, oil and gas
production facilities are enclosed due  to  the  extreme cold
temperatures.  These facilities house machinery and piping
used to route and process 2.3 million barrels of oil each day.
With   this much  oil  and  gas  being  handled  indoors,  a
substantial risk of fire or explosion exists.  A chemical called
Halon-1301,  is  used to prevent explosions  or fires  from
occurring in these facilities.  However, the  1990 amendments
to the U.S. Clean Air Act call  for a  virtual phascout of Halon
production by the end  of  this decade  due to its ability to
destroy stratospheric ozone.  No other proven methods exist
besides Halon-1301  that can provide adequate protection of
the North Slope oil production  facilities.  In  collaboration with
the other partners,  AEERL researchers will simulate  North
Slope-type fire  and explosion scenarios  in the laboratory;
judge the behavior of the  candidate alternatives; and make
recommendations on replacement chemicals, some of which
have been synthesized  in the laboratory under other AEERL
cooperative agreements.   (N. Dean Smith,  AEERL,  FTS
629-2708)

Fuel Cells Tested for Electricity Production from Methane

   Landfills are a major source of methane, a significant global
warming  gas.   AEERL recently  awarded a  contract   to
International  Fuel  Cells Corporation  (IFC)  to conduct  a
demonstration for operating a 200 kW commercially available
phosphoric acid  fuel cell on landfill  gas. The  objective is to
reduce landfill methane emissions and produce  electricity as a
by-product.  Fuel cells arc potentially superior technology
when  compared  to  commonly  used technologies (boilers,
internal combustion engines, gas turbines, and flares), because
they are both a highly efficient  and environmentally clean
means of converting landfill gas to electricity and clean heal.
However, technical and economic questions remain as to their
ability to utilize  landfill gas.  This  project  will answer those
questions.  The one-year evaluation will document the amount
of electricity produced,  the  availability  factor, the efficiency
factor,  maintenance  and  operator requirements.  (Ronald
Spiegel, AEERL, FTS 629-7542)

Remote Sensing of Vehicle Emissions

   Las  Vegas, Nevada was the site of recent research using
remote sensing to monitor vehicular air pollution emissions.
An innovative instrument  developed  at  the  University  of
Denver,  allows the carbon monoxide and  hydrocarbon (CO
and HC) emissions of vehicles  to be  monitored in a fraction of
a second as they pass through an infrared light beam directed
across the street.  Each measurement is documented on a video
tape that includes an image  of the back of the  vehicle being
monitored  (including license  plate).  This study  involved
EMSL-LV,  Clark County  (Nevada) Air  Pollution  Control
District, the Nevada State Department of Motor Vehicles, the
Southern Nevada Community College and the  Department of
Transportation.

   The study consisted of three separate monitoring projects.
The first was an  investigation of the effects of minor  repair
and tuneups on emissions.  The second project was designed
to evaluate the  effectiveness of oxygenated  fuel for  CO
emission reduction by  measuring emissions from the  influx
and  exit  of  a  substantial  number  of  tourists  at  the
California-Nevada state  line.  Preliminary  data indicates  a
significant difference  between  the vehicles  coming  from
California than those leaving Las Vegas. The third project was

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a comparison of emissions from fully warmed vehicles to the
same  cold  start  vehicles.  Final results  of the  study  are
expected by  the end  of  the summer.  The Clean Air Act
Amendments of 1990 provide for the use of remote sensing
technology  for mobile source  emissions  monitoring.  This
work  will help identify  applications and also  help  in  the
evaluation  of the  use  of  alternative  fuels.    EMSL-LV
involvement in this project began in FY-89 as an Innovative
Research  project.    (Marc   Pitchford,   EMSL-LV,  FTS
545-2363)

Innovative   Paint  Spray Booth  Technology  for  Ozone
Attainment

  AEERL scientists  have designed  a paint spray booth  for
both  military  and  industrial   spray  painting  operations
worldwide. The design allows for the significant reduction of
volatile organic  compound emissions  and permits a 50%
reduction in  the volume of flow that must be controlled.  Since
the reduced  volume of  flow  will  significantly  reduce  the
capital and  operating costs of  add-on  pollution  control  for
paint spray booths, it is expected that widespread use of the
design will occur in the affected industry, having a potentially
great impact on the ozone non-attainment problem.  A patent
application has been filed for  this technology.  (Charles  H.
Darvin, AEERL, FTS 629-1766)

Low Cost Technology Demonstrated For S02 Control

  ORD has successfully demonstrated  a  low  cost SO2
removal process for power plants.   The demonstration, in
cooperation  with the Ohio Coal Development Office, the Ohio
Edison Company, and Babcox and  Wilcox, achieved 50%
removal of  SO2.    The process, called E-SOx, injects  an
alkaline  slurry   into  a modified  existing   electrostatic
precipitator.   Because  of   low  capital costs,  E-SOx  is
considered   to be one of the  least expensive  methods  of
controlling  SO2.   Its  low cost and simplicity make it  an
attractive candidate for use in older power plants and for
adoption in such areas as Eastern Europe, where 50% removal
of SO2 would be a substantial improvement. (Louis S. Hovis,
AEERL, FTS 629-3374)

International Task  Force Reports  on  VOC Controls and
Ozone Abatement

  The Economic  Commission on Europe (ECE ) Task Force
on  volatile  organic  compound (VOC) Control Technology
recently completed its report on the technical and economic
viability of an array of VOC control options.  The conclusions
and recommendations of the  Task Force  will  guide  the
multi-national effort to control VOC emissions  and reduce
tropospheric ozone concentrations worldwide. Engineers from
AEERL  have worked extensively  with  the Task Force to
ensure that the U.S. approach for ozone abatement using Best
Available Control Technology,  Lowest Achievable Emission
Rate  for new sources, and Reasonably  Available Control
Technology for existing sources is represented in the technical
report.  They were also instrumental in  including  other issues
of concern to the U. S., such as  the role of biogenic emissions
and NOx in ozone  formation;  the assessment of the  control
effectiveness  of  existing  control   technologies  on  major
sources,   and  the  improvement   of  existing  emissions
inventories.  The  VOC Control  Protocol will be signed by 16
nations, including the U. S., in November 1991.  (Wade H.
Ponder, AEERL, FTS 629-2818)
Global Inventory of VOC Emissions Published

   Global  atmospheric  models for ozone require, as  one
input, an emissions inventory of reactive volatile organic
compounds (VOCs). AEERL  has published  a report  that
(EPA-600/8-91-002,  January  1991)  provides  a  global
inventory   for each of seven  pollutant groups—paraffins,
olefins, aromatics  [benzene,  toluene,  and xylene  (BTX)],
formaldehyde,  other   aldehydes,  other  aromatics,   and
marginally  reactive  compounds.    AEERL  researchers
identified the major anthropogenic  sources of VOC emissions
in the U.S. and grouped them into categories according to:
development of U.S. emission factors; multiplication of the
U.S. emission factors by production/consumption statistics
for other  countries;  and geographic  distribution of the
emissions.  The  study shows total  global  anthropogenic
emissions of about  121 million tons of VOC per year with the
U.S. the largest emitter with 21 percent of the total.   Fuel
wood combustion  and tropical grassland burning are the
largest sources,  accounting for over 35  percent of global
VOC emissions. (Julian Jones, AEERL, FTS 629-2489)
WATER

Research on Small Drinking Water Systems Discussed With
Region III

  Region  III and the state of West Virginia have requested
help for their several hundred small drinking water systems.
A small drinking water system is defined as serving less than
100  connections. A meeting to discuss the feasibility of
developing a research effort to help  small drinking water
systems (micro-systems)   to  meet  existing and pending
federal regulations was held in Charleston, WV. Members of
RREL presented possible research directions. Representatives
from  Region III, WV State Health Department,  American
Water Works  Service  Company, WV- American  Water
Company,  and American  Water Works Association Small
Systems Committee discussed areas of concern and suggested
approaches to the research effort. RREL will be developing a
research plan for comment that will include a total package to
help micro-systems, including: liability, customer acceptance,
treatment  efficiency, operation  and  maintenance, and cost.
This research  will include a concept on "Electronic Circuit
Rider" control of small  systems.  (Ben Lykins, RREL, FTS
684-7460)

Municipal Technology Transfer Workshop

  EPA  recently  held  a  Municipal  Technology Transfer
Workshop,  at which   RREL  provided an  overview  of
promising innovative and alternative technologies which they
have evaluated. Information was provided on state-of-the-art
small  community  technologies,  stormwater and   sludge
management  regulations,   ultraviolet  light  disinfection,
upgrading  technologies  and toxic  compound  removal in
treatment  facilities.  The topics  selected as a result of a
survey that polled  state,  local, and  private entities  in the
region on municpal  technology  topics.   The  conference
attendance exceeded  300  people, indicating  the level of
interest in  wastewater  engineering  technology.   (James
Kreissl, RREL, FTS 684-7611)

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