Project Experience

Anthony, Arsenic, Chromium, Lead and Nickel Contamination

You probably know Chromium best as the contaminant in the movie Erin Brockovich. Despite a century of industrial use and multiple studies showing that people who work around industrial processes using chromium have higher-than-normal rates of lung and nasal cancers, there are still holes in the basic knowledge about the risks from exposure.

Although, Chromium is an important industrial metal used in diverse products and processes – at many locations hexavalent chromium or Cr+6 has been released into the environment via leakage, poor storage, or improper disposal practices.

Situation

This Site operated as a hard chrome plating and grinding facility from 1981 to 2009. Multiple chemicals in the soil and groundwater exceeded acceptable levels – 10,000+ tons of soil and 66,000 square feet of groundwater were contaminated.

This site was unique because most heavy metal contaminated Sites with elevated levels of nickel are often unable to achieve closure levels using commercially available reagents.

Contaminants of Concern

Antimony, Arsenic, Chromium (hexavalent and trivalent), lead and nickel.

Solution

Various remedial actions were conducted to address contaminated soils and groundwater.

  • First-ever application of a proprietary blend of nano-scale iron sulfide (FeS) reductant for in situ geochemical reduction and contaminant stabilization.
  • Minimized waste streams through the use of Dry Ice Blast Cleaning to remove residue from building walls and equipment.
  • Contaminated soils: Mixed 78,000 gallons of FeS with a dual-axis blender to a depth of 15 feet.
  • Contaminated groundwater: Injected 40,000 gallons of FeS via 175 injection points.
  • Long-term, post-remediation groundwater monitoring.

Results

Remediation successfully completed in less than two years – saving nearly 50% of the remediation cost and completing the work in a fraction of the time.

More About This Successful Site Closure