Implementation of an In Situ Soil Vapor Extraction Pilot Study at Technical Area 54 at the Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Apogen Technologies, 1350 Central Ave., Los Alamos, NM 87544 (United States)
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87544 (United States)
Non-radioactive liquid chemical waste was disposed at Material Disposal Area (MDA) L within Technical Area 54 (TA-54) at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) from the early 1960's until 1985. The surface of the site is currently used for Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)-permitted chemical waste storage and for mixed waste storage under interim status authority. The major contaminant release at the site is a subsurface organic solvent vapor-phase plume consisting of several volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA), trichloroethene (TCE), carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, tetrachloroethene (PCE), toluene, and benzene. Other contaminants that have been detected, but at much lower concentrations, and include chlorobenzene, xylenes, and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene. TCA was found in the greatest concentration, and it also exhibits the greatest lateral and vertical extent in the organic vapor plume. The measured concentrations of TCA are almost an order of magnitude greater than values measured for TCE, the contaminant of second highest concentration. Under LANL's Environmental Stewardship-Environmental Remediation and Surveillance Program, extensive sampling and analysis have been conducted to determine the nature and extent of the plume, and a conceptual model to characterize the subsurface plume has been developed. Data analysis has shown that the site does not currently pose a potential unacceptable risk to human health or the environment. LANL proposes to conduct a study to determine whether a soil vapor extraction system can effectively remove VOC contamination from the subsurface vapor-phase plume at MDAL. Previous investigations conducted at MDAL on plume remediation include a Pilot Vapor Extraction Test (PVET), in which a soil vapor extraction (SVE) system was constructed and operated near the outer boundary of the plume. The results of this test demonstrated the potential effectiveness of SVE at MDAL. The proposed study entails installation of an active soil vapor extraction system to evaluate the rate of reduction of the contaminant concentrations immediately around the source terms. Active extraction will be conducted over an approximately four-month period, which should be complete by the end of March 2006. Continued subsurface monitoring of the vapor contaminant concentrations will capture soil vapor concentration rebound and will determine when or if additional extraction should take place. Rebound analysis will also provide valuable information on the nature of the source. Should future monitoring indicate an increase in the soil vapor concentrations, the emplaced extraction system may be used to remove and treat contaminants, ensuring that the subsurface plume does not increase in size or concentration. Continuous monitoring of the off gas will be conducted to ensure that all regulatory requirements are met. Data from this study will be used in the corrective measure evaluation for MDA L to assess the effectiveness of SVE as a remedy for remediation of the subsurface vapor-phase plume at MDAL. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- WM Symposia, Inc., PO Box 13023, Tucson, AZ, 85732-3023 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21208754
- Report Number(s):
- INIS-US-09-WM-06305; TRN: US09V1065079541
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Waste Management 2006 Symposium - WM'06 - Global Accomplishments in Environmental and Radioactive Waste Management: Education and Opportunity for the Next Generation of Waste Management Professionals, Tucson, AZ (United States), 26 Feb - 2 Mar 2006; Other Information: Country of input: France; 18 refs
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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