PHC Remediation

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  2. PHC Remediation Using Liquid Activated Carbon (LAC) in Huntsville, Ontario
Brief

In Ontario’s pristine Muskoka region, the owners of a permanent residence were forced to leave their home when their furnace’s fuel tank began leaking oil, creating vapour that endangered their health, as well as risking contaminating their well and the nearby lake. They needed help to remediate the site as quickly as possible so that they could return to their home.

They retained an environmental contractor, who attempted to remove the source of the impacts, along with the residual impacts in the soil and groundwater, using excavation and insitu chemical oxidation. Although this program significantly reduced the impacts, the groundwater overburden remained impacted by dissolved petroleum hydrocarbons, specifically the PHC F2 fraction, above the regulatory standards. IRSL was retained to complete the clean-up based on their record of success and their innovative design and approach to the site.

Process

To develop an optimal injection design, IRSL used their proprietary analytical model, which incorporated observed contaminant concentrations, groundwater flow rates, reaction rates, temperature and inorganic parameters, within the subsurface. Through this process, they discovered the required mass and injection pattern that led to the successful remediation of the remaining impacts.

IRSL injected a mixture of PlumeStop® liquid activated carbon and Oxygen-Releasing Material (ORM) in the glacial till aquifer. The ORM stimulated the native aerobic bacteria, whereas the PlumeStop® allowed for the adsorption of the PHCs from the groundwater. This combination effectively reduced the PHCs within the groundwater to below the regulatory limits. It also created a geochemical environment that enhanced biological degradation reactions that resulted in the re-generation of the activated carbon itself.

Results

The PHC plume was treated to below the applicable regulatory standards.

The remedial program was executed with one injection in two days. The first clean samples were obtained within one month of the injection with additional clean samples after that.

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