Contaminants in the Subsurface

Contaminants in the Subsurface
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 371
Release: 2005-04-23
Genre: Science
ISBN: 030909447X

At hundreds of thousands of commercial, industrial, and military sites across the country, subsurface materials including groundwater are contaminated with chemical waste. The last decade has seen growing interest in using aggressive source remediation technologies to remove contaminants from the subsurface, but there is limited understanding of (1) the effectiveness of these technologies and (2) the overall effect of mass removal on groundwater quality. This report reviews the suite of technologies available for source remediation and their ability to reach a variety of cleanup goals, from meeting regulatory standards for groundwater to reducing costs. The report proposes elements of a protocol for accomplishing source remediation that should enable project managers to decide whether and how to pursue source remediation at their sites.

Contaminant Geochemistry

Contaminant Geochemistry
Author: Brian Berkowitz
Publisher: Springer Science & Business
Total Pages: 582
Release: 2014-04-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 364254777X

In this updated and expanded second edition, new literature has been added on contaminant fate in the soil-subsurface environment. In particular, more data on the behavior of inorganic contaminants and on engineered nanomaterials were included, the latter comprising a group of “emerging contaminants” that may reach the soil and subsurface zones. New chapters are devoted to a new perspective of contaminant geochemistry, namely irreversible changes in pristine land and subsurface systems following chemical contamination. Two chapters were added on this topic, focusing attention on the impact of chemical contaminants on the matrix and properties of both liquid and solid phases of soil and subsurface domains. Contaminant impacts on irreversible changes occurring in groundwater are discussed and their irreversible changes on the porous medium solid phase are surveyed. In contrast to the geological time scale controlling natural changes of porous media liquid and solid phases, the time scale associated with chemical pollutant induced changes is far shorter and extends over a “human lifetime scale”.

Advances in Remediation Techniques for Polluted Soils and Groundwater

Advances in Remediation Techniques for Polluted Soils and Groundwater
Author: Pankaj Kumar Gupta
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 408
Release: 2021-12-02
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0128238445

Advances in Remediation Techniques for Polluted Soils and Groundwater focuses on the thematic areas for assessment, mitigation, and management of polluted sites. This book covers advances in modelling approaches, including Machine Learning (ML)/ Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications; GIS and remote sensing; sensors; impacts of climate change on geogenic contaminants; and socio-economic impacts in the poor rural and urban areas, which are lacking in a more comprehensive manner in the previous titles. This book encompasses updated information as well as future directions for researchers working in the field of management and remediation of polluted sites. - Introduces fate and transport of multi-pollutants under varying subsurface conditions - Details underlying mechanisms of biodegradation and biodetoxification of geogenic, industrial and emerging pollutants - Presents recent advances and challenges in assessment, water quality modeling, uncertainty, and water supply management - Provides authoritative contributions on the diverse aspects of management and remediation from leading experts around the world

Chemical Fate and Transport in the Environment

Chemical Fate and Transport in the Environment
Author: Harold F. Hemond
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 351
Release: 2013-10-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1483288641

Chemical Fate and Transport in the Environment is a textbook for upper division undergraduate and graduate students studying environmental sciences in engineering, hydrology, chemistry, and other related disciplines. It covers the fundamental principles of mass transport and chemical partitioning, and the transformation of substances in surface water, in groundwater or subsurface environments, and in the atmosphere. Three major areas-surface water, ground water, and air-are covered, with descriptive overviews for each area. Each major section begins by describing environment: its controlling physical, chemical, and biological processes. The book also contains examples of common environmental problems and includes problem sets at the end of each chapter.Text that has been developed from a course taught at MITBroad-based coverage of the environmental sciencesA more rigorous treatment of transport than found in other textsExercise sets at the end of each chapterExamples of current environmental problems fully integrated into the textAmple references for access to the primary literatureNumerous illustrations throughout

Alternatives for Ground Water Cleanup

Alternatives for Ground Water Cleanup
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 334
Release: 1994-02-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309049946

There may be nearly 300,000 waste sites in the United States where ground water and soil are contaminated. Yet recent studies question whether existing technologies can restore contaminated ground water to drinking water standards, which is the goal for most sites and the result expected by the public. How can the nation balance public health, technological realities, and cost when addressing ground water cleanup? This new volume offers specific conclusions, outlines research needs, and recommends policies that are technologically sound while still protecting health and the environment. Authored by the top experts from industry and academia, this volume: Examines how the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the subsurface environment, as well as the properties of contaminants, complicate the cleanup task. Reviews the limitations of widely used conventional pump-and-treat cleanup systems, including detailed case studies. Evaluates a range of innovative cleanup technologies and the barriers to their full implementation. Presents specific recommendations for policies and practices in evaluating contamination sites, in choosing remediation technologies, and in setting appropriate cleanup goals.

Fate and Transport of Subsurface Pollutants

Fate and Transport of Subsurface Pollutants
Author: Pankaj Kumar Gupta
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2020-10-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9811565643

This volume offers detailed information on the behaviour of various water pollutants, and on the principles and concepts of groundwater flow and transport. It will help readers to understand and execute the planning, supervision, and review of solute transport and groundwater modeling projects. The book also discusses the role and fate of elements that have been identified as major contaminants in surface and subsurface waters, and their adverse effects on ecology and human health. The book explores this theme throughout four sections – a. Understanding Soil-Water Systems, b. Fate and Transport of Pollutants, c. Physico-Chemical Treatment of Wastewater and d. Microbial Techniques Used to Decontaminate Soil-Water Systems. Introducing readers to a range of recent advances concerning the fundamentals of subsurface water treatment, it offers a valuable guide for teachers, researchers, policymakers, and undergraduate and graduate students of hydrology, environmental microbiology, biotechnology and the environmental sciences. It also provides field engineers and industrial practitioners with essential support in the effective remediation and management of polluted sites.

Natural Attenuation for Groundwater Remediation

Natural Attenuation for Groundwater Remediation
Author: Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2000-08-31
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309069327

In the past decade, officials responsible for clean-up of contaminated groundwater have increasingly turned to natural attenuation-essentially allowing naturally occurring processes to reduce the toxic potential of contaminants-versus engineered solutions. This saves both money and headaches. To the people in surrounding communities, though, it can appear that clean-up officials are simply walking away from contaminated sites. When is natural attenuation the appropriate approach to a clean-up? This book presents the consensus of a diverse committee, informed by the views of researchers, regulators, and community activists. The committee reviews the likely effectiveness of natural attenuation with different classes of contaminants-and describes how to evaluate the "footprints" of natural attenuation at a site to determine whether natural processes will provide adequate clean-up. Included are recommendations for regulatory change. The committee emphasizes the importance of the public's belief and attitudes toward remediation and provides guidance on involving community stakeholders throughout the clean-up process. The book explores how contamination occurs, explaining concepts and terms, and includes case studies from the Hanford nuclear site, military bases, as well as other sites. It provides historical background and important data on clean-up processes and goes on to offer critical reviews of 14 published protocols for evaluating natural attenuation.

Plans and Practices for Groundwater Protection at the Los Alamos National Laboratory

Plans and Practices for Groundwater Protection at the Los Alamos National Laboratory
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 104
Release: 2007-10-18
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0309106192

The world's first nuclear bomb was a developed in 1954 at a site near the town of Los Alamos, New Mexico. Designated as the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in 1981, the 40-square-mile site is today operated by Log Alamos National Security LLC under contract to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Like other sites in the nation's nuclear weapons complex, the LANL site harbors a legacy of radioactive waste and environmental contamination. Radioactive materials and chemical contaminants have been detected in some portions of the groundwater beneath the site. Under authority of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the State of New Mexico regulates protection of its water resources through the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). In 1995 NMED found LANL's groundwater monitoring program to be inadequate. Consequently LANL conducted a detailed workplan to characterize the site's hydrogeology in order to develop an effective monitoring program. The study described in Plans and Practices for Groundwater Protection at the Los Alamos National Laboratory: Final Report was initially requested by NNSA, which turned to the National Academies for technical advice and recommendations regarding several aspects of LANL's groundwater protection program. The DOE Office of Environmental Management funded the study. The study came approximately at the juncture between completion of LANL's hydrogeologic workplan and initial development of a sitewide monitoring plan.

Emerging Contaminants in Soil and Groundwater Systems

Emerging Contaminants in Soil and Groundwater Systems
Author: Bin Gao
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 355
Release: 2022-01-16
Genre: Science
ISBN: 012824089X

Emerging Contaminants in Soil and Groundwater Systems: Occurrence, Impact, Fate and Transport addresses the current need for comprehensive and detailed information on emerging contaminants in the environment. Due to increasing industrial expansion and evolving technologies, novel contaminants are being found in the environment with little information on their analysis, fate and transport. This book covers pharmaceuticals and personal care products, perfluorinated compounds, engineered nanoparticles and microplastics, providing the information environmental scientists require to study their occurrence and interactions, including case studies for each contaminant. This book is a valuable read for postgraduate students, academics, researchers, engineers and other professionals in the fields of Environmental Science, Soil Science, and Hydrology who need the most up-to-date information and analytical methods for analyzing newly emerging contaminants in soil and groundwater. - Presents the four most important emerging contaminants of concern that have had little comprehensive coverage to date: pharmaceuticals and personal care products, perfluorinated compounds, engineered nanoparticles and microplastics - Focuses on the fate and transport of each emerging contaminant, providing a thorough description of how each contaminant interacts with the environment - Includes case studies of each emerging contaminant to complement advances in research to form a comprehensive reference for all emerging contaminants

Bioavailability of Contaminants in Soils and Sediments

Bioavailability of Contaminants in Soils and Sediments
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2003-05-03
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0309086256

Bioavailability refers to the extent to which humans and ecological receptors are exposed to contaminants in soil or sediment. The concept of bioavailability has recently piqued the interest of the hazardous waste industry as an important consideration in deciding how much waste to clean up. The rationale is that if contaminants in soil and sediment are not bioavailable, then more contaminant mass can be left in place without creating additional risk. A new NRC report notes that the potential for the consideration of bioavailability to influence decision-making is greatest where certain chemical, environmental, and regulatory factors align. The current use of bioavailability in risk assessment and hazardous waste cleanup regulations is demystified, and acceptable tools and models for bioavailability assessment are discussed and ranked according to seven criteria. Finally, the intimate link between bioavailability and bioremediation is explored. The report concludes with suggestions for moving bioavailability forward in the regulatory arena for both soil and sediment cleanup.