United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA-600/8-80-017
May 1980
Office of Research and Development
&EPA Research
Summary
Controlling
Hazardous
Wastes
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An estimated 90 percent of the hazardous waste generated
in the United States is disposed of by environmentally
unsound methods. In the wake of numerous well-publicized
hazardous waste disposal mishaps, we now know that such
practices pose a serious threat to our health and the envi-
ronment. Public concern has been heightened by the
widespread belief that recent events at the Love Canal in
New York and the Valley of the Drums in Kentucky repre-
sent but a tip of the hazardous waste iceberg.
The Federal government initially responded to the critical
hazardous waste problem in 1976 with the enactment of the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act {RCRA). More
recently, the Administration has proposed the Oil, Hazard-
ous Substances and Hazardous Waste Response, Liability
and Compensation Act—a comprehensive "Superfund" pro-
gram to assure the proper management of hazardous
wastes through the use of economic incentives. Successful
implementation of both RCRA and the Superfund legislation
requires major research and development efforts to assure
that the Agency's regulatory and enforcement activities can
be adequately carried out. With this in mind, the Office of
Research and Development has embarked on an extensive
research program to develop technologies to identify and
control the disposal or destruction of hazardous wastes.
As you read this summary of our research, I think it will
become evident that hazardous wastes control is not simply
a matter of technology development. Public attitudes and
practices play an essential role in hazardous wastes cleanup.
I encourage you to look upon controlling hazardous wastes
not just as an industrial and governmental problem, but also
as a personal one.
Stephen J. Gage
Assistant Administrator
for Research and Development
This brochure Is one of a series providing a brief description of major areas of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency's research and development program. Additional copies may be
obtained by writing to:
Publications
Center for Environmental Research Information
US EPA
Cincinnati, OH 45268
or bv calling (5131 684-7562
Cover Photo by Ken Altshuler
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hazardous wastes
generation
love canal
waste sites
It is expected that between 30 and 40 million metric tons of
hazardous wastes will be generated in the United States in
1980, This corresponds to between 66 and 88 billion pounds,
or 300 to 400 pounds of wastes per person. By the year
2000, annual hazardous wastes generation may double.
Disposal of this tremendous quantity of waste is a matter of
great public concern in the wake of recent revelations of
negligent dumping practices at numerous locations through-
out the country.
In the past, hazardous wastes have been disposed of with
little or no attention paid to site location, safety measures,
or maintenance of records. This has led to numerous instances
of contamination that have severely damaged the environ-
ment and threatened human health. For example, in early
1978, the drinking water of Toone, Tennessee, was severely
contaminated by chemicals leaching from a nearby landfill.
Later the same year, four dumpsites containing more than
19,000 indiscriminately discarded drums of hazardous wastes
were discovered near Louisville, Kentucky. These sites later
became collectively known as the Valley of the Drums.
Perhaps the most dramatic example of inadequate disposal
of hazardous chemical wastes occurred near Niagara Falls,
New York. More than 200 families living along an abandoned
waste disposal site, known as Love Canal, had to perma-
nently evacuate their homes when toxic chemicals seeped
up through the ground and into their basements. The more
than 20,000 metric tons of chemical wastes in Love Canal
include an estimated 300 different chemicals, 100 of which
have been identified to date. New York State officials
estimate that possibly 10 percent of the chemicals in the
dumpsite may be mutagens, teratogens, or carcinogens.
Benzene, a known carcinogen, as welt as 11 other
suspected carcinogens have been identified. One of the
wastes at the site, trichlorophenol, contains dioxin, a
chemical that animal tests have shown to be 100 times as
deadly as strychnine. Investigators report there may be as
much as 500 pounds of dioxin buried in Niagara County.
The production of hazardous wastes is concentrated both
by industry and by location. Seventeen major types of
industries are responsible for about 85 percent of all hazard-
ous wastes. About two-thirds of this total is generated in
ten States.
The EPA has identified 151 hazardous waste sites in the
United States that pose a threat to human health or the
1
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10 STATES THAT PRODUCE 65% OF ALL HAZARDOUS WASTE.
resource
conservation and
recovery act
environment. The list of sites is under continuous review
and is periodically updated. One study performed for the
EPA's Office of Solid Waste indicates that there may be as
many as 32,000 hazardous waste dumpsites throughout the
United States, 1,200 to 2,000 of which may present signifi-
cant health or environmental problems. Other estimates set
the total number of dumpsites at 50,000. Few of these
disposal sites have been inventoried, and the risks posed by
them are unknown. In addition, there is a wide spectrum of
unauthorized and potentially harmful disposal of hazardous
wastes through indiscriminant "midnight dumping."
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of
1976 was the first comprehensive Federal legislation to deal
with the hazardous wastes issue. Under RCRA's "imminent
hazard" provision, the EPA may file suit against a company
to force it to change the way it handles, stores, treats, and
disposes of hazardous wastes, if these practices present an
imminent danger to human health or the environment. How-
ever, for the litigation process to be successful, the com-
pany must be solvent. In the case of many abandoned sites,
even if the company can be identified, it may have long
since gone out of business.
To deal with the cleanup cost and liability problems not
handled by RCRA, the Administration has proposed a
$1.6 billion fund to be established over a 4-year period. If
enacted the Oil, Hazardous Substances and Hazardous
Waste Response, Liability and Compensation Act, more
commonly known as the "Superfund" bill, will encourage
more careful handling of hazardous materials through provi-
sions allowing for the recovery of cleanup costs from those
responsible for a spill or dumping incident.
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management A phased approach to wastes management has been
approach developed by EPA, in response to the mandates of the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act:
1. To reduce the generation of wastes at the source by
improving production processes, improving durability
and product life, and other techniques.
2. To remove both materials and energy from wastes to
maximize recycling and resource recovery.
3. To ensure that those wastes that cannot be eliminated
or recovered are stored, transported, treated, and dis-
posed of by procedures that guarantee public health
and safety and the integrity of the environment.
The first two elements of.this stragegy are key goals of the
Agency's long-range management and research program.
The immediate threat posed by improper wastes disposal
have made the third element the major short-range priority.
ORD research To support the Agency's short-range hazardous wastes
management initiatives, the Office of Research and Develop-
ment (ORD) has undertaken a three-part research program:
• identification (including measurement, monitoring,
and quality assurance)
• remedial action and emergency response
• long-term controls.
ORD is complimenting this three-part control program
with a risk assessment program to provide the Agency
with data to judge the threat of disposal sites to
human health and the environment. The hazardous
wastes risk assessment program will be the subject of
a future Research Summary.
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identification
definition
More than 4 billion metric tons of solid wastes are annually
generated in the United States, The 30 to 40 million metric
tons of hazardous wastes represents roughly one one-hundredth
of this total. The fact that hazardous and nonhazardous
wastes are frequently generated and disposed of in conjunc-
tion with one another presents major identification and
segregation problems.
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
defines a waste as hazardous if "because of its quantity,
concentration, or physical, chemical, or infectious character-
istics it: (a) causes or significantly contributes to an increase
in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible or incapac-
itating reversible illness; or (b) poses a substantial present or
potential hazard to human health or the environment when
improperly treated, stored, transported, or disposed of or
otherwise managed."
The EPA considers a waste to be hazardous if it possesses
any of four characteristics: ignitability, corrosiveness, reac-
tivity, or toxicity.
An initial step in the identification of hazardous wastes is to
understand the industrial processes generating the wastes.
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For more than 5 years, the Office of Research and Develop-
ment has gathered information on the organic chemical,
inorganic chemical, pesticide, organic dye and pigment, and
other industries. Data on the industrial organic and inor-
ganic chemical industries has been computerized to facilitate
updating and information retrieval. The data base is fre-
quently used to determine the sources of hazardous wastes
by providing information on proper sampling and analysis
procedures.
Developing accurate testing methods and procedures to
identify hazardous wastes is difficult due to the wide assort-
ment of sources, sites, and chemical characteristics of these
wastes. The Office of Research and Development has a
three-part hazardous wastes identification program under-
way to support the promulgation and enforcement of EPA
regulations under RCRA: measurement, monitoring, and
quality assurance.
measurement Proper control and disposal of hazardous wastes depends
on practical and precise sampling and analysis procedures.
The Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory in Las
Vegas, Nevada. (EMSL-Las Vegas) is conducting a program
to evaluate proposed sampling, analysis, and classification
procedures.
The Las Vegas lab is evaluating two techniques for obtain-
ing waste samples. One technique is for use at waste
ponds, pits, and lagoons, and the other is for sampling con-
tainers such as drums, tanks, and tank cars. The extraction
procedures involve various means of separating potentially
harmful components from waste, thus permitting assess-
ments as to whether a particular waste is hazardous.
A primary step in the control of any hazardous waste is
identification of the individual waste components. EPA's
Environmental Research Laboratory in Athens, Georgia
(ERL-Athens}, is developing guidelines for detecting organic
compounds in water that will serve as a tool for analyzing
water samples containing unidentified pollutants. These
guidelines will be especially useful in the identification of
leachates and water samples from disposal sites.
Gas chromatography is the principal analytical means of
identifying volatile organic compounds, which comprise 10
to 20 percent of the total number of organic compounds
found in water. Another technique, high pressure liquid
chromatography (HPLC), can be used to identify a wider
range of the less volatile organics. Researchers are combin-
ing the use of gas chromatography and HPLC to identify 3
large number of toxic organic compounds. ORD plans to
develop analytical procedures for the detection of toxic
organic chemicals in soils and sediments in the near future.
The proper disposal of hazardous wastes has often been
hampered in the past by the lack of a standard procedure to
verify the contents of drums and trucks containing wastes,
and the lack of understanding or concern by many landfill
operators regarding the dangerous chemical reactions that
can result when particular wastes are combined. Deception
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monitoring
safety and
hazard guide
and disregard irvthese two areas have resulted in uncon-
trolled reactions leading to serious environmental harm and
to human death. Recognizing that information dissemination
is an initial step toward a solution to these problems, ORDs
Municipal Environmental Research Laboratory in Cincinnati,
Ohio (MERL-Cincinnati), is developing a series of manuals
intended for use by persons responsible for sampling, han-
dling, and disposing of hazardous wastes. Manuals on
effective sampling procedures and waste compatibility will
aid in identifying specific wastes and in preventing combina-
tions of dangerous chemicals. The draft booklet on chemical
compatibility describing the families of wastes that can be
safely mixed, is presently being used with success by landfill
operators in California. A test kit to determine the stability
of waste combinations in landfills is also currently under
development.
EPA is mandated by RCRA to monitor hazardous wastes
generation, storage, transport, treatment, and disposal. The
Office of Research and Development is improving monitor-
ing procedures and protocols to develop a more systematic
approach to fulfill the Agency's responsibilities. The Envi-
ronmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory in Las Vegas has
management and research responsibility in this area.
Individuals involved in the monitoring and cleanup of haz-
ardous materials are often exposed to highly toxic
chemicals. To help assure the safety of workers involved in
these activities, ORD's Las Vegas Laboratory recently com-
pleted a two-part Hazardous Materials Spills Monitoring
Safety Handbook and Chemical Hazard Guide. ™ 2-year
preparation effort required the extensive review of hazard-
ous chemical spill histories to determine the chemicals
involved, their identifying characteristics, the degree and
nature of the hazards they posed, and the frequency of
occurrence of specific chemicals in spills.
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aerial surveillance
The Hazard Guide portion of the handbook contains infor-
mation on the chemical nature, degree of hazard, and expo-
sure and safety precautions to be taken for more than 650
chemical compounds. The Safety Handbook portion sug-
gests proven first aid measures to be taken in the case of
accidents or exposure to hazardous chemicals. The sug-
gested measures are not intended to replace professional
medical attention, but rather they appear so that personnel
who are exposed to a toxic substance receive adequate
immediate lifesaving assistance. Information on obtaining
the Handbook and Guide is located in the "For Further
Information" section at the end of this publication.
EMSL-Las Vegas has primary responsibility for aerial detec-
tion of hazardous wastes disposal sites and for surveillance
of cleanup operations. The Las Vegas lab is monitoring sites
in the western regions, while its Vint Hill Field Station in
Warrenton, Virginia, is responsible for surveillance in the East.
At the request of EPA regional offices and the Office of
Solid Waste in Washington, DC, many abandoned dump-
sites were photographed in the last 2 years in several states
including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Arkansas, Nevada, and New
York. These aerial images serve as an important source of
information on disposal operations and possible environmen-
tal degradation, and are frequently used in litigation.
Historical photographs, often dating back as many as 40
years, offer EPA a record of activities at a site. Present-day
aerial'imagery can indicate burial sites, stored drums, and
damaged vegetation, as well as aid in assessing a site's terrain
and drainage patterns.
Special photographic techniques using thermal infrared
scanners and color infrared film, can provide more specific
information. Infrared scanners detect heat radiated from a
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hazardous wastes.
Canal.
locations for hazardous wastes storage.
ibility detection limits, and accuracy.
n
Zeau of Standards to calibrate instruments an to
evaluate and compare the data developed at other
laboratories.
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remedial action and emergency response
The Office of Research and Development is supporting the
Agency's regulatory activities in response to the many
uncontrolled hazardous waste sites throughout the United
States. EPA recently established a National Headquarters
Waste Site Enforcement Task Force to deal with the uncon-
trolled site program. The Agency is presently identifying
and, where possible, rectifying waste problems through
various legal and contractual processes. ORD is playing an
important role in this program through its past efforts in the
development of technology and equipment to control oil
spills. Various Office of Research and Development
laboratories are expanding their hazardous wastes
technology development activities to assist the Task Force.
ORD's Municipal Environmental Research Laboratory in
Cincinnati, Ohio (MERL-Cincinnati), has the lead role for
research and development related to hazardous waste envi-
ronmental emergencies. Through a program at its Oil and
Hazardous Materials Spills Branch in Edison, New Jersey,
MERL-Cincinnati is developing prototype equipment and
experimental techniques for controlling wastes. Ultimately,
the program will encourage commercialization of these new
techniques. However, when commercial equipment is unavail-
able, responses are made to actual emergencies at the
request of EPA regional offices. Recent emergency assis-
tance has been provided at a PCB spill in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania; a pesticide spill on Long Island, New York;
and at Love Canal in Niagara Falls, New York.
Field evaluations of remedial technologies are currently
underway at dumpsites to determine their effectiveness,
durability, and cost. This research will result in a series of
engineering manuals to assist officials in the selection and
operation of proven cleanup technologies. Special attention
will be given to the cost effectiveness of systems and the
proper coordination of emergency response and long-term
control actions.
emergency MERL-Cincinnati coordinates projects on a number of new
response unit approaches to hazardous materials control. Once develop-
ment and testing in the laboratory have been completed,
these techniques are turned over to the Edison lab's Envi-
ronmental Emergency Response Unit (EERU) for field
testing. Upon completion of field testing, prototype equip-
ment is maintained under the EERU program to respond to
cleanup emergencies. The program enables the EPA to
evaluate and demonstrate various cleanup technologies on
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spills and dumpsites throughout the country, thereby
encouraging private firms to manufacture or use similar
equipment. Several prototype cleanup devices are now
E!Syfc - *US6' and S°me are comm«rcially available. At
east two private companies currently offer the equivalent of
the mobile physical /chemical treatment system, the most
frequently used EERU equipment. This system, mounted on
a semitrailer and capable of treating 100 gallons of confcT
rate h±HnPer ?'"">,i8 deSJ9ned t0 remove and Concen-
trate hazardous chemicals by a variety of methods It con-
tains equipment for coagulating and settling suspended
so ids, precipitating heavy metals, filtering very fine par-
ca bo ads°rbing contaminants using granular-activated
Two mobile laboratories are also ready for use One is
ea,u,pped to perform rapid screening tests at sites where a
quick assessment of an emergency situation is needed. The
other lab can prov.de rapid, precise chemical analyses of
water, So,l and waste at a cleanup site. Both mobile labs
can be used when a conventional laboratory is too distant
from a site to provide the quick identification of con-
taminants necessary for determining proper action Bv
momtonng water samples during cleanup operations, the
laboratories can also aid in determining when site treatment
has been sufficient. Several private firms now have rap™
screenmg labs and at least one company has built an
analytical lab for use at spill sites.
?h0totTAf Stem f°r which testin9 has been com-
the Sp.ll Alarm Trailer, used to monitor the level of
contammants m streams. The system consists of five detec
t.on instruments and can operate unattended for up to 2
T±' ai7 ? th6 fiVe instruments detects contamination
above a predetermined level, the system automatically takes
10
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soil treatment
system
a sample and sends an alarm to the EERU. While originally
designed to detect spills that may otherwise have gone
unreported, the system is now being used with success to
detect changes in the flow of contaminants from illegal
dumpsites.
Other EERU equipment includes a powdered carbon
physical/chemical treatment unit and a stream diversion
system. The trailer-mounted treatment unit has a 50 gallon-
per-minute capacity and operates similarly to the larger
granular-activated carbon system. The stream diversion
system is used where an insoluble hazardous material lies in
a stream bed. Pumps and pipes reroute the stream to expose
the material, which is then removed by excavation equip-
ment. The system is capable of diverting small streams up
to 3,000 feet and larger ones up to 1,000 feet.
Designed to treat soils contaminated as a result of spills or
leaching from inactive dumpsites, the soils treatment system
contains the tanks, pumps, and hose to allow the use of
several high-pressure injection techniques. One of the treat-
ment methods involves injecting a grout material such as
cement or bentonite (a clay that absorbs water to expand to
several times its normal size) to form a grout curtain in the
soil. The construction industry has used grout curtains for
some time to consolidate soils and divert groundwater. In its
application to hazardous wastes, this curtain reduces the
spread of a contaminant by isolating a section of soil. The
procedure begins by pumping the grout through a pipe
driven into the soil. The grout permeates the soil surrounding
the end of the pipe, forming a spherical shape about
3 to 6 feet in diameter. The pipe is then withdrawn far
enough so that the next injection of grout creates a sphere
on top of the first. This procedure is repeated to form a column.
A curtain results when a number of grout columns merge.
ORD's mobile soil grouting unit, pictured below, is being
used for demonstration purposes at various locations across
the country.
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mobile carbon
regenerator
mobile incinerator
Other control techniques include injecting chemicals to
detoxify contaminants, introducing nutrient or biological
material to accelerate biodegradation, and simply injecting
water to wash contaminants from the soil.
Adsorption, a process in which the molecules of one
substance adhere to the surface of another, provides one
important means of removing dissolved organic hazardous
material from water. When contaminated water is passed
through granular-activated carbon, the pollutant clings to
the granules. With use, however, the carbon becomes pro-
gressively "full," losing its adsorptive capability. A method
for regenerating activated carbon, and disposing of its toxic
adsorbants, is being prepared for demonstration by MERL-
Cincinnati at its Edison tab. This technology, which restores
at least 90 percent of the carbon's adsorptive capacity,
improves on commercial regenerators, many of which are
not built to handle carbon that has adsorbed certain hazard-
ous materials. The trailer-mounted reactivator will operate
onsite, complementing the mobile physical/chemical treat-
ment system or similar units, thereby avoiding the risk of
transporting spent, toxic carbon. The heart of the process is
a rotating kiln that heats the carbon at 1800°F for 20 min-
utes and releases the adsorbed contaminants as vapor. The
vapor then passes into a combustion chamber where it is
decomposed. Air pollution control equipment detoxifies any
exhaust gases. Once the carbon is cooled with water, it is
ready for reuse.
High-temperature incineration offers a viable means for
detoxifying or destroying a number of long-lived hazardous
substances. It can also effectively separate contaminants
from soil and other materials. The process has the advan-
tage of reducing contaminants to simple, nontoxic com-
pounds that can be safely disposed in landfills. The Edison
laboratory is nearing completion of a mobile incinerator that
will destroy such hazardous compounds as PCB, the pesti-
cides Kepone and malathion, and TCDD, a persistent pesti-
cide component. The system, designed to operate on the
12
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soil surface
sealing
foams
actual site of a spill, is mounted on three semi-trailers and
equipped with a rotating combustion chamber, a stationary
combustion chamber, and air pollution control equipment.
The incinerator can handle 9,000 pounds of contaminated
soil or 75 gallons of liquid per hour. Solid wastes are first
shredded to facilitate burning, while liquids and fluid sludges
can be pumped directly into the rotating combustion
chamber. Air pollution control equipment cleans the cooled
exhaust gases before venting them to the outside air.
MERL-Cincinnati's Edison branch is also testing several low-
cost, portable methods of sealing soil surfaces to prevent
groundwater contamination from spilled hazardous chem-
icals. The most promising technique involves the use of a
flexible plastic sheet that can provide protection in several
ways. Placed over a spilled material, the sheet can keep off
rain that might otherwise cause the chemical to spread. It
can also be placed in such a way that a flowing hazardous
material spreads onto it and not into the soil.
A more sophisticated soil surface sealing technique has proven
feasible on smooth surfaces such as sand, but is less effec-
tive on wet or rough areas, such as damp grass or rocky
ground. Research is continuing on spray techniques that
use melted or even dissolved plastics to form a cover sheet.
In addition to the danger of soil and water contamination,
some hazardous spills and abandoned dumpsites threaten
the environment because of toxic air pollution resulting from
chemical evaporation. The Office of Research and Develop-
ment is nearing completion of a study on the use of foams
to minimize vaporization from accidental spills of volatile
liquids. The primary objective of the project is to match
hazardous chemicals with the most effective foam.
Researchers recently finished testing six types of foam used
by fire departments, ranging from a high expansion formula
that creates a layer 18 to 24 inches deep, to five kinds of
low expansion foam that are usually used in 2-inch layers.
Many foams of both high and low expansion proved effec-
tive on nonpolar liquids {those that do not dissolve in
water, including many petroleum products). Against polar
compounds, which are water-soluble and include strong
acids and many pesticides, only an alcohol-type low expan-
sion foam worked well. Researchers plan to extend their
tests to newly marketed foams devised specifically for
hazardous chemical spills.
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long-term controls
The development of technologies to control hazardous
wastes over the long term is critical to EPA's mission to
guarantee the protection of public health and the environ-
ment from adverse effects of hazardous wastes. The search
for effective technologies is complicated by the fact that dif-
ferent wastes have different storage, treatment, and
disposal requirements.
Only 10 percent of the 30 to 40 million metric tons of hazard-
ous wastes generated annually is believed to be managed in
accordance with upcoming EPA regulations. Another 10 per-
cent is incinerated without proper controls, and 80 percent is
disposed of in nonsecure landfills, lagoons, or ponds.
In the near future, the greatest percentage of hazardous
wastes will initially be disposed of by landfilling. As RCRA is
implemented, however, these facilities will be upgraded and
new secure sites will be constructed. As a result, land
disposal costs will rise to as much as three times their cur-
rent level. To save money, more generators will direct their
wastes to incinerators and make use of chemical and bio-
logical treatment. In addition, certain wastes will be
eliminated through recovery and reuse processes.
Over the long term, waste destruction, reduction at the
source, and reuse are better control solutions than land
disposal or containment. However, the engineered landfill is
likely to remain the common method of disposal until these
alternatives are improved. Incineration will probably be the
most common alternative in the next 5 to 10 years. It has
the potential both to destroy wastes, and to recover energy
from them. It has not, however, been routinely used to
achieve the levels of waste destruction that will be required
in forthcoming regulations. The Office of Research and
Development is looking for ways to improve destruction
efficiencies through improved incinerator design and
maintenance.
Because of the large number of hazardous waste streams
resulting from numerous industrial processes, it is impossi-
ble for ORD to develop control technologies for every waste
generating process. Fortunately, pending RCRA regulations
will give waste generators a substantial economic incentive
to conduct and apply their own research and development
efforts where testing of specific technology options is
necessary. ORD is therefore focusing on a limited number
of priority waste streams, industrial and commercial waste
sources, and waste control problems. EPA is placing special
14
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containment
liners
encapsulation
of drums
disposal pit
for pesticides
emphasis on cost sharing, cooperative research efforts in
areas of mutual interest.
The Office of Research and Development's program for
developing long-term hazardous wastes control technologies
is divided into four major areas of effort: containment, ther-
mal decomposition, treatment, and centralized management.
Containment research is directed towards developing
technologies for hazardous wastes landfilting, land treat-
ment, storage, surface impoundment, fixation, and stabilization.
ORD is developing landfill and surface liner systems to pre-
vent the leaching of wastes from disposal sites. Methods
are being developed to determine which liners are best
suited for various types of wastes. Individual liners are being
evaluated for durability, impermeability, and chemical com-
patibility with various hazardous wastes. Manuals are then
developed that compare the predicted performance of
various liner designs.
ORD is developing methods for predicting the composition,
rate, of generation, and total quantity of leachates from
hazardous wastes land disposal facilities. On the basis of
this information a technique will be developed to predict
pollutant movement from specific disposal sites. Data
resulting from this research will be very useful in designing
disposal facilities, predicting landfill effectiveness and
lifetime, and for predicting any pollutant release.
At dumpsites where drums of hazardous chemicals lie
carelessly exposed to the weather, a serious threat is posed
by the eventual deterioration of the drums and subsequent
leaking of chemicals. A study of techniques for encap-
sulating drums, both-damaged and intact, is underway at
MERL-Cincinnati. In laboratory tests, a miniature, preformed
polyethylene jacket reinforced with fiberglass has proven to
be a strong, flexible casing that is also impervious to
chemical leaching. The combination of polyethylene and
fiberglass stands up exceptionally well in compression,
impact, and puncture tests, which represent stresses more
severe than would normally be encountered.. Laboratory
tests have also shown that leakage from badly damaged
drums can be prevented by wrapping a fiberglass casing
around a drum and then spraying or brushing on a plastic
resin. The resin dries in air, offering an advantage over the
preformed casing, which requires special equipment to fuse
the fiberglass and polyethylene.
Research is also proceeding on a full-size polyethylene con-
tainer that can be fuse welded to hold hazardous wastes or
to seal drums. Cost estimates are similar to those for current
methods of sealing metal containers; however, researchers
expect the performance of this technique to be greatly
superior. The concept holds promise not only for the burial
of wastes, but also for their transport and storage.
MERL-Cincinnati has nearly completed work on an inexpen-
sive method enabling farmers to safely dispose of pesticides
left over from crop applications. Researchers have suc-
cessfully tested a relatively simple technique using a small
15
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volatile organic
emissions
deep-well injection
concrete pit lined with soil and limestone. Pesticides
deposited in the pit are absorbed by the soil and limestone
allowing microorganisms to break down the chemical's
biodegradable components. Various insecticides and her-
bicides can be deposited together without problems of reac-
tivity. In addition, the pit does not require emptying since
the amount of chemicals deposited is small in relation to the
pit's size. A lid kept over the structure minimizes evaporation.
MERL-Cincinnati is beginning research on another disposal
pit in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The new design will employ a transparent cover that allows
solar radiation to speed biodegradation processes.
The release of volatile organic chemical vapors into the
atmosphere from disposal facilities is not well understood.
ORD is actively working with EPA's Office of Air Quality
Planning and Standards (OAQPS) to determine the magni-
tude of the problem. If the emissions prove to be substan-
tial, additional studies will be undertaken to investigate,
predict, and control them.
For years, industry has employed a technique for injecting
liquid waste—much of it toxic or radioactive—into porous
rock deep in the earth. There is debate, however, on
whether such deep-well injections are safe. Opponents
argue that these wastes, injected under extreme pressure,
can flow laterally through geologic strata into poorly con-
structed or unplugged deep wells and then rise to con-
taminate subsurface water supplies. These fears were partly
16
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containment
manuals
thermal
decomposition
borne out in 1968 when two accidents further raised con-
cerns about deep-well practices. In Erie, Pennsylvania, a
well receiving 150,000 gallons-a-day of paper processing
byproducts abruptly spouted a 20-foot geyser of wastes.
During the 3 weeks spent capping the well, some 4 million
gallons of injected wastes poured out. In the same year in
Denver, Colorado, the U.S. Army disposed of its nerve gas
supplies through deep-well injection. The gas apparently
caused an unknown geologic fault to slip, and a series of
small earthquakes shook the city. When injections were
halted, the earthquakes stopped.
The EPA has since examined some of the technical aspects
of deep-well injection, particularly ways of measuring and
predicting the extent of dangerous pressure buildup in the
strata surrounding wells. The Robert S. Kerr Environmental
Research Laboratory in Ada, Oklahoma, recently completed
a study of this problem, in support of proposed regulations
on deep-well injection. Researchers studied the pressure
data on operating wells and devised over 30 equations for
estimating such increases.
Several hazardous waste containment manuals are being
prepared by MERL-Cincinnati covering all engineering and envi-
ronmental aspects of hazardous wastes disposal in landfills and
surface impoundments. The manuals will provide wastes dis-
posal operators necessary technical information to comply with
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act regulations.
High priority is being given to hazardous wastes thermal
decomposition research to support the development of
incineration regulations. ORD researchers recently identified
the combustion requirements for destroying Kepone sludge
in Hopewell, Virginia, and current efforts are directed at
establishing the conditions necessary for incinerating other
hazardous wastes. Two related research projects are under-
way at ORD's Industrial Environmental Research Laboratory
in Cincinnati, Ohio (lERL-Cincinnati). The first employs a
complex laboratory system to analyze the products of incin-
eration over a range of combustion conditions. The results
of this research will be used in a second field study in which
the incineration of 10 hazardous wastes, including PCB, will
be carefully monitored. The tests will be run in a commer-
cially available incinerator modified to include advanced air
pollution control devices: an afterburner to destroy residual
organics, a wet scrubber to further purify the gases emitted,
and a filter to remove particulates.
ORD is also investigating the thermal combustion of wastes
aboard incinerator ships. The emissions from burning
chlorinated organic waste aboard a Dutch vessel have been
carefully documented, and EPA regulatory offices plan to
use this data in setting domestic and international guidelines
on incineration at sea. One advantage of this method of
incineration is that the process takes place far from
populated areas. Stack scrubbers, an additional expense for
incineration on land, are not used aboard these ships; the
traces of chemicals that escape are thought to be absorbed
by the ocean, and thus greatly diluted. In 1977, the U.S. Air
Force made use of the Vulcanus, a Dutch incinerator ship to
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model incinerator
cement kilns
industrial boilers
successfully burn more than 10,000 metric tons of Agent
Orange, a herbicide used in Vietnam which is frequently
contaminated with dioxin. The demonstrated feasibility of
incinerator ships from other nations, plus stricter EPA
regulation of hazardous wastes disposal, may eventually
encourage private U.S. firms to enter the field.
In a related project, IERL-RTP is exploring the possibility of
incinerating hazardous wastes on abandoned offshore oil
drilling platforms. The feasibility and environmental effects
of such an operation are presently being examined As with
incineration aboard ships, an oil drilling platform off the
coast would be well away from population centers. For
ORD's purposes of research and demonstration, a platform
may offer the additional advantage of flexibility in testing
various types of incineration technology.
The Office of Research and Development recently purchased
a rotary-kiln incinerator and modified it to permit
sophisticated monitoring and control of test waste 'ncinera-
tions Over the next 2 years detailed tests will be conducted
on each of the major classes of hazardous wastes. In a
companion program, a highly sophisticated laboratory ther-
mal decomposition analytical system (TDASI is being used
to learn more about the optimal combustion conditions for
various wastes, and to study the formation of potentially
hazardous combustion by-products. ORD's incineration
research facilities are available for quick response testing of
wastes as a service to EPA regulatory and enforcement offices
nationwide.
lERL-Cincinnati is designing a one-twentieth scale model
of a full-sized industrial wastes incinerator to aid in deter-
mining the efficiency of various incinerator designs. The
model will be flexible enough to allow major changes in
structure for the purpose of modeling more than one incin-
erator Although the unit is not planned as a mobile incin-
erator, it can be moved to various sites for testing.
An alternative to incineration is the use of existing high-
temperature industrial processes for hazardous wastes
destruction. Cement kilns have been used at several sites
throughout the world to decompose highly toxic substances
such as PCB's. Researchers at lERL-Cincinnat. are exploring
the use of these kilns to destroy various chlorinated organic
wastes.
Another type of thermal decomposition process involves
burning hazardous wastes in standard mdustnal bo. ers. Th.s
process offers several benefits, among them the abrtrtyto
utilize some of the thousands of industrial boilers already n
existence, the possibility of energy recovery, and the elimi-
nation of the need to transport the wastes to distant dis-
posal sites. Tests are being conducted in various types of
industrial furnaces to determine the specific boiler modif.ca-
tions that must be made if the wastes are to be safely
destroyed. ORD researchers are currently looking at opfmal
oxygen" levels during combustion the use of afterburners to
break down certain pollutants, and the potential need for
scrubbers.
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treatment
centralized
treatment
The third long-term hazardous wastes control research area
involves the development of treatment technologies in three
major areas: preprocessing or predisposal, destruction or
detoxification, and upgrading existing wastes treatment and
disposal facilities. Preprocessing or predisposal treatment
involves the partial detoxification of wastes prior to disposal,
storage, or further processing. Destruction or detoxification
processes render wastes completely nonhazardous; Finally,
upgrading existing wastes treatment and disposal facilities
involves the development of treatment techniques that can
be retrofitted to improve facility safety or performance.
Technologies currently being used in wastewater treatment
and industrial processing are being modified and improved
to handle hazardous wastes.
Particular emphasis is being placed on developing
technologies to treat highly toxic organic and inorganic
wastes. In addition, ORD is looking closely at the waste
treatment technology needs of those industry groups that
will be most affected by Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act regulations. Research is focusing on the treat-
ment of landfill leachates, abandoned lagoon contents, and
the design of centralized hazardous wastes treatment and
disposal facilities. Such techniques as carbon adsorption,
solvent extraction, chemical coagulation, sedimentation,
distillation, and biological treatment are being tested on
selected hazardous waste streams. Once the tests are com-
pleted, profiles on performance, cost, energy efficiency,
capacity, and waste compatibility will be developed.
Guidelines will then be distributed to industry, waste
management facility operators, and other local, State, and
Federal officials to assist them in the selection of efficient
hazardous wastes treatment technologies.
Centralized treatment of hazardous wastes is possible where
industries producing similar types of waste are located in
close enough proximity to allow the economical transporta-
tion of waste materials. Hazardous wastes can either be
treated at one centralized location or individual plants can
exchange wastes and treat those for which they are best
technologically suited. The Federal Republic of Germany has
successfully used this concept of industrial wastes treatment
for many years, and the Office of Research and Develop-
ment is examining its feasibility in the United States.
The Cincinnati Industrial Environmental Research Laboratory
has undertaken a study of the U.S. electroplating industry,
and its potential for centralized waste treatment. The city of
Cleveland has been chosen for advanced study due to its
high concentration of electroplating plants. AH technical and
economic aspects of centralized treatment are being exam-
ined to determine the concept's feasibility in this area. ORD
is optimistic that centralized treatment will not only be
useful to the Cleveland electroplating industry, but also to
numerous other industries throughout the country. Over the
long term, ORD plans to prepare centralized treatment
design and operation manuals to help State and local waste
management authorities implement the concept in their
region.
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individual research projects
industrial
environmental
research laboratory —
Cincinnati, ohio
Selected research projects performed by or through the
various ORD laboratories or offices are listed below.
• Detection of Insoluble Hazardous Materials on River
Bottoms
• Soil Surface Sealing to Halt Groundwater Intrusion by
Spills of Hazardous Materials
• "In Situ" Treatment of Hazardous Spills in Large
Watercourses
• Development/Demonstration of Mobile, Field-Use Acti-
vated Carbon Regeneration System with Recovery/
Detoxification of Hazardous Material Spills
• Design, Construction, and Demonstration of a Mobile
Field-Use System for the Detoxification/Incineration
of Residuals from Oil and Hazardous Material Spills
• Special Emergency Spill Response Activities
• Biodegradation Processes for Disposal of Spilled
Hazardous Materials
• Ultimate Disposal Using Liquid Metal Reaction or
Glass Encapsulation
• State-of-the-Art Survey and Methods/Materials Matrix
Assessment of Ultimate Disposal Techniques for Spilled
Hazardous Materials
• Restoring Hazardous Spill-Damaged Areas: Technique
Identification/Assessment
• Evaluation/Development of Foams for Mitigating Air
Pollution from Hazardous Spills
• Parametric Modification of Spill Factors Affecting Air
Pollution
• Mobile System for Washing Hazardous Wastes from
Soils
• Mobile System for In Situ Treatment/Grouting of
Contaminated Soils
• Bromination Process for Disposal of Spilled Hazardous
Materials .
• Identification of Technology for Control and Cleanup
of Environmental Emergencies Involving High-Strength
Hazardous Wastes
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municipal
environmental
research laboratory
Cincinnati, ohio
environmental
monitoring systems
laboratory —
las vegas, nevada
environmental research
laboratory —
athens, georgia
Evaluation of Hazardous Waste Storing, Sampling
Analysis, and Compatibility
Toxicity Testing Methods, Development, and Validation
Predicting Movement of Selected Metals in Soils-
Application to Disposal Problems
Evaluation of Chemically Stabilized
Sludges^ ^
Development of Safe Methods for Disposal of Excess
Pesticides Used by Farmers and Applicators
?.ev?.'opment of Pi)°t Scale Microwave Plasma Detox-
ification Process for Hazardous Wastes
Laboratory and Field Evaluation of Processes and
oua Waste* Encapsulating Contairiers Holding Hazard-
Waste
Hazardous
• Evaluate and Develop Techniques to Concentrate
Hazardous Constituents of Liquid Hazardous Waste
otreams
1 Development and Demonstration of Methods to Control
Inorgamc Chemical Wastes Discharged to the
Municipal Sector
Remedial Action at a Hazardous Waste Disposal Site
Remedial Action at a Surface Impoundment Site
Remedial Action Assistance to the LaBounty Landfill Site
Remedial Action at the LiPari Landfill Site
Identifying Best Practical Technology for Remedial
Action at a Municipal Landfill Site
Evaluation of Sampling Procedures in the Proposed
Hazardous Waste Regulations
Evaluation of the Extraction Procedure and Associated
Analytical Methods ,n the Proposed Hazardous Waste
Regulations
Initiation of a Hazardous Waste Monitoring Quality
Assurance Program
Characterization of Hazardous Wastes Identified in the
Proposed Hazardous Waste Regulations
Development of a Master Analytical Scheme for
Organics in Water
Sorbtion Processes in Soils and Water
Prediction of Microbial Transformation of Toxic Sub-
stances in Natural Waters and Sediments
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robert s. kerr
environmental research
laboratory —
ada, Oklahoma
industrial environmental
research laboratory —
research triangle park,
north Carolina
Bioorganic Indicators of Groundwater Pollution
Movement and Fate of Viruses and Organic Pollutants
in Groundwater During the Land Treatment of Waste-
water
Fate of Organic Pollutants in a Wastewater Land
Treatment System Using Lagoon Impoundment and
Spray Irrigation
Behavior of Organic Pollutants in Simulated High-Rate
Infiltration Systems
Fate of Organic Compounds in Aquifers
Direct Injection of Reclaimed Water fbr Groundwater
Recharge
Feasibility Study: Offshore Incineration Platform -
Phase I, Conceptual Design
At Sea Incineration - Sampling, Analysis, and
Environmental Assessment
22
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for further information
publications
other research
summaries
technical reports
and manuals
EPA Research Outlook. February 1980. EPA-600/&#HX)6.
224 pages.
A description of EPA's plans for future environmental
resea rch.
EPA Research Highlights. January 1980. EPA-«X)/&«M)05.
100 pages.
Highlights of the EPA research and development pro-
gram accomplishments of 1979.
EPA Research Summary: Controlling Nitrogen Oxides.
February 1980. EPA-600/8-80-004. 24 pages.
EPA Research Summary: Acid Rain. October 1979.
EPA-600/8-79-028. 24 pages.
EPA Research Summary: Oil Spills. February 1979.
EPA-600/8-79-007. 16 pages.
Information on the availability of these publications
may be obtained by writing to:
Publications
Center for Environmental Research Information
US EPA
Cincinnati, OH 45268
or by calling (513) 684-7562
• Guidance Manual for Minimizing Pollution From Waste
Disposal Sites. August 1978. EPA-600/2-78-142.
95 pages. (PB-286 905, $6.00)
• Land Disposal of Hazardous Wastes. Proceedings of
Annual Research Symposium (4th), held at San Antonio,
Texas on March 6, 7, and 8, 1978. EPA-600/9-78-016.
438 pages. (PB-286 956, $14.00)
• Manual for the Control of Hazardous Material Spills.
Volume 1: Spill Assessment and Water Treatment
Techniques. November 1977. EPA-600/2-77-227. 490
pages. (PB-276734, $15.00)
• State-of-the-Art Report: Pesticide Disposal Research.
September 1978. EPA-600/2-78-183. 247 pages.
(PB-284 716, $14.00)
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question or
comments
Hazardous Materials Spill Monitoring: Safety Handbook
and Chemical Hazard Guide, January 1979.
Part A. EPA-600/4-7M08A. 49 pages. (PB-295 853, $6.00)
Part B. Chemical Data. EPA-600/4-79-008B. 674 pages.
(PB-295 854, $19.00) ___
Technical reports or manuals may be obtained by writing
to:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
or by calling (703) 557-4650
The Office of Research and Development invites you to address
any questions or comments regarding the EPA Hazardous
Waste Control Research Program to the appropriate individuals
listed below:
Topic
Identification
Emergency Response
Long-term Controls
Program Management
Contact
Eugene Meier
Environmental Monitoring
Systems Laboratory
P.O. Box 15027
Las Vegas, NV89114
Ira Wilder
Oil and Hazardous Materials
Spills Branch
Municipal Environmental
Research Laboratory
Edison, NJ 08817
E. Timothy Oppelt
Municipal Environmental
Research Laboratory
26 West St. Clair
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Gary Foley
Office of Research and
Development, RD-681-
US EPA
Washington, D.C. 20460
EPA's hazardous wastes research program is administered
by Dr. Steven Reznek, Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Environmental Engineering and Technology.
.S, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1980 - 319-647
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Controlling
Hazardous
Wastes
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency, RD-674
Washington, D.C. 20460
U.S.MAIL
Official Business Postage and Third Class
Penalty 1or Private use $300 Fees Paid
Environmental
Protection
Agency
EPA 335
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