&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA/540/MR-99/002
July 1999
SUPERFUND INNOVATIVE
TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION
Demonstration Bulletin
Soil Rescue Remediation Solution
Star Organics, L.L.C.
Technology Description: Star Organics, L.L.C. (Star), has
developed a remediation solution that binds heavy metal
contaminants in soils and sludges. The solution, Soil Rescue,
consists of weak organic acids that occur naturally in trace
concentrations in the soil, phosphoryl esters, and other
organic components. The solution is typically surface sprayed
where contamination is shallow (to about 8 inches), or
pressure-injected where contamination is deeper. The
application of Soil Rescue can be repeated, if necessary, until
the contaminant metal concentrations are reduced to below
applicable cleanup standards.
According to Star Organics, Soil Rescue does not destroy or
remove toxic metals from the soil or sludge. Instead, the
metals are bound in coordinate covalent complexes having
large molecular structures and very low solubility. Soil Rescue
is essentially a mixture of weak organic acids and phosphoryl
esters that stabilize toxic metals by forming multiple ligands
with a central metal cation.
Waste Applicability: According to Star Organics, Soil
Rescue remediation solution is effective in reducing the
solubility of barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, and
zinc. In situ remediation of contaminated soil may be achieved
in permeable soils with shallow contamination by spraying
Soil Rescue onto the surface. Where poor permeability does
not permit fluid penetration, or where contamination is more
than 8 inches below the surface (up to 15 feet), Soil Rescue
may be applied using pressure-injection. For those situations
where surface spraying or pressure-injection do not apply,
Soil Rescue can be applied to excavated soil in a pug mill.
The soil can be treated on site and placed back in its original
location. For sites with high concentrations of leachable heavy
metals, the application process (surface spraying, pressure
injection, or pug mill) can be repeated until the concentrations
of metals in the media are reduced to levels below the
applicable cleanup standards.
Evaluation Approach: The Ohio Environmental Protection
Agency (Ohio EPA) and U. S. EPA, through a cooperative
agreement, evaluated the Soil Rescue remediation solution
at the Crooksville/Roseville Pottery Area of Concern (CRPAC)
in Roseville, Ohio. Soil Rescue was evaluated at CRPAC to
determine its ability to reduce the amount of leachable lead
in industrial and residential soils, as determined by theToxicity
Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP). Soil Rescue was
concurrently evaluated for its ability to reduce the relative
percent of bioavailable lead as determined by a Physiological-
based Extraction Test (PBET) in residential soils.
The evaluation consisted of treating 10 experimental units in
a residential area, and one experimental unit in an industrial
area. The experimental units in the residential area measured
5 feet long by 5 feet wide. The experimental unit at the
industrial site measured 6 feet long by 3 feet wide. After the
sod was removed from all of the experimental units, the
contaminated soil was mechanically mixed to a depth of 6
inches. Soil samples were collected before the treatment
process was applied. The experimental units were treated
with Soil Rescue by spraying the remediation solution onto
the surface, and then treating the soil to a depth of 2 feet by
injecting the solution using an injection wand. The units were
resampled after a minimum of 72 hours following the
application of Soil Rescue. The original sod cover was
returned to nine of the experimental units; one residential unit
was reseeded with fescue to determine whether plant uptake
of contaminants occurred following treatment. Lysimeters
were installed to a depth of 6 inches in one unit at the
residential site and in the unit at the industrial site. The water
collected in the lysimeters will be analyzed on a quarterly
basis for lead to aid in determining the long-term effectiveness
of the treatment.
Preliminary Results: Results of the pre- and post-treatment
TCLP lead analysis for the pretreated and post treated
industrial soils are shown in Table 1. Results of the TCLP lead
analysis for the residential soils are shown in Table 2. Key
findings, including complete analytical results and a cost
analysis, will be published in a Technology Capsule and an
Innovative Technology Evaluation Report.
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Table 1. TCLP Lead Results in Industrial Soils
Table 2. TCLP Lead Results in Residential Soils
Sampling
Location
U1
UZ
LJ3
LM
US
U6
\Jf
LIB
U9
Note:
N/A fitatisricak
PrEl'Eatmenl
TCLPLEaa
Concentration
•m&'L)
45'J
37G
411
3G4
411
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
lesion of The sypsrii
TCLP Lead
Concentration
3.2
3.0
3.G
3.5
2.7
4C
2.9
3.2
3.2
•nsnTonfy1 rflquiren li1
Experimental
Unit
Pretrealrnent
TCLPtead
Post-treatmenl
TCLP Load
frng.'LJ
(mg/L}
G
L
T
13.2
11.9
NO
1.3
1.4
ND
ND Not detected at ihc reporting hmn 01 0.50
ss lor TCLP
For Further Information:
EPA SITE Prog ram:
Ed Earth, Project Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
26 Martin Luther King Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45268
(513) 569-7669; FAX: (513) 569-7571
E-mail: barth.ed@epamail.epa.gov
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Center for Environmental Research Information
Cincinnati, Ohio 45268
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
BULK RATE
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
EPA
PERMIT No. G-35
EPA/540/MR-99/002
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