United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Robert S. Kerr Environmental
Research Laboratory
Ada OK 74820
Research and Development
EPA-600/S2-84-098 June 1984
v>EPA Project Summary
Annotated Literature References
on Land Treatment of Hazardous
Waste
William C. Galegar and B. J. Tillman
This report represents one of a five-
part response to the cooperative
agreement "Land Treatment Tech-
nology Development Systems for Haz-
ardous Wastes." This part provides
technical literature annotations of land
treatment processes for chemical,
hazardous, and industrial solid wastes.
Since the concept of land treatment
is relatively new for industrial waste.
information is widely scattered. Approx-
imately 832 publications, through the
year of 1982, were reviewed and anno-
tated for this report.
The other activities of this study were
(1) prepare a master research plan for
land treatment of hazardous waste, (2)
conduct a feasibility study for selecting
a pilot plant facility for land treatment,
(3) develop the mechanism for a quick
data base accessibility, and (4) provide
for the peer review of proposals,
programs, projects, and publications on
land treatment. A sixth activity — the
development of a Land Treatment
Technology Panel was added by
amendment.
The remaining activities are
documented by internal ORO reports
since they supply data needs specific to
the internal planning and management
processes of the Hazardous Waste Land
Treatment (HWLT) program. Any
portions of interest to designers,
managers, or operators of HWLT
systems are being incorporated in more
comprehensive publications, such as
the forthcoming site selection manual.
This Project Summary was developed
by EPA's Robert S. Kerr Environmental
Research Laboratory, Ada, OK, to
announce key findings of the research
project that is fully documented in a
separate report of the same title (see
Project Report ordering information at
back).
Introduction
Land treatment is noted in the Re-
source Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA, Public Law 94-580) and the pro-
posed regulations issued by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's
Office of Solid Waste as one of the tech-
nologies for management of hazardous
waste. This technology currently is being
utilized for the disposal of industrial
hazardous waste. The term, "land treat-
ment," implies that the land or soil is used
as a medium to treat hazardous waste; a
land treatment facility is defined as "that
portion of a facility of which hazardous
waste is applied onto or incorporated into
the surface soil." This technology is
considered to be a viable waste
management option for selected hazard-
ous wastes with potential economic and
environmental advantages over other
options.
Land treatment must be viewed,
planned and managed with the same
degree of care and attention given any
other technical process operation. The
objective of land treatment technology is
to design and operate the system to utilize
the natural biological, chemical and
physical processes in the soil for
degrading, attenuating, or otherwise
rendering innocuous those wastes
receiving such treatment. The waste-soil
complexities and natural process
interactions must be appreciated and
understood if land treatment is to be
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acceptably practiced and its use
expanded.
Annotated Technical Literature
The available literature on land
treatment indicates that a properly
designed and operated land treatment
facility can provide sound, environment-
ally safe disposal of waste residuals
through the biological, chemical and
physical interactions occurring in the soil.
Attenuation of the organic constituents
occurs largely as a result of degradation
by the soil microbiota, while immobiliza-
tion of metallic contaminants occurs as a
result of the physical-chemical properties
of the soil. There is, however,
considerable information that must be
acquired to: (a) satisfy the regulator,
designer, operator, and general public on
important issues related to this
technology, (b) establish a high degree of
confidence in soil treatment systems; and
(c) utilize this technology to its fullest
potential.
Land treatment encompasses a unique
and novel approach to degrade noxious
and unwanted waste constituents to
environmentally acceptable products.
This degradation is accomplished by
chemical, physical and microbial action
analogous to that experienced in
biological treatment processes. The
upper soil mantle is utilized to trap the
contaminants and make them available
for microbial action. Through proper
management of land processes, soil
characteristics may be altered to make a
more productive soil, vegetation and a
cost-effective treatment process.
Concepts of land treatment processes for
industrial waste are relatively new, and
information is widely scattered, if in
existence at all.
An extensive search of the literature
was made to secure and summarize that
pertinent to this effort. Each piece of
information was collated with the major
divisions in the research plan. This
consisted of: (1) site selection, (2) design,
(3) operation and management, (4)
monitoring of land treatment systems, (5)
closure/post-closure, and (6) economics.
A total of 832 articles are summarized.
Results indicate land treatment of
selected organic waste to be an attractive
alternative cost-effective method. This
compilation should be useful to those
having a need to rapidly review available
information in the areas identified above.
Jean Galegar is with East Central Oklahoma State University, Ada. OK 74820.
M. L. Wood is the EPA Project Officer (see below).
The complete report, entitled "Annotated Literature References on Land
Treatment of Hazardous Waste," (Order No. PB 84-195 270; Cost: $34.00,
subject to change) will be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield. VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P.O. Box 1198
Ada. OK 7482O
it U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE; 1984 — 759-015/7729
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Center for Environmental Research
Information
Cincinnati OH 45268
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