Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE)
EPA/540/AR-93/508
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
EPA RREL's Mobile Volume
Reduction Unit Applications Analysis Report This document is an evaluation of the performance of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory's (RREL's) mobile Volume Reduction Unit (VRU) and its applicability as a treatment technique for soils contaminated with organics. Both the technical and economic aspects of the technology were examined. A demonstration of the VRU was conducted in the fall of 1992 using RREL's pilot-scale unit at the Escambia Treating Company Superfund Site in Pensacola, Florida. Operational data and sampling and analysis information were carefully compiled to establish a database against which other available data, as well as the project objectives for the demonstration, could be compared and evaluated. Conclusions concerning the technology's suitability for use in treating contaminated soils with organic compounds through particle size separation and solubiition were reached. Extrapolations regarding applications to different contaminants and soil types were made. Under optimal conditions, when surfactant was added and pH and temperature of the wash water were increased, the VRU achieved average removal efficiencies of 97 percent for pentachlorophenol (PCP) and 95 percent for polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contaminants. In addition, 86 percent of the solids in the feed soil were returned as washed soil (on a normalized basis).Contact |