Gowanus Canal Superfund Site. II: Stabilization/Solidification of MGP-Impacted Sediments
Publication: Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 19, Issue 1
Abstract
The Gowanus Canal Superfund site is located in Brooklyn, New York. The sediment of the 2.9-km (1.8-mi) long canal is impacted at multiple locations by nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) mainly from three historic manufactured gas plant (MGP) sites with measured NAPL saturations up to 50%. A stabilization/solidification (SS) treatability study was completed using 15 mix designs in a tiered testing suite that included unconfined compressive strength, hydraulic conductivity, and contaminant leach testing by equilibrium (as per U.S. EPA standard methods) and semidynamic leach methods, where semidynamic leach testing was modified with polydimethylsiloxane liners. Mix designs containing 5–10% (by dry weight) of a cement blend paired with 0.5% bentonite, or 1–4% organoclay added to wet NAPL-impacted sediments were characterized by unconfined compressive strength values greater and hydraulic condictivity values lower than 345 kPa (50 psi) and , respectively. Leaching reductions for naphthalene (key contaminant) ranged from 89 to 93% for all mix designs compared to the untreated baseline conditions. Moreover, it appeared that the chief contributor to leaching reduction was a decrease in the hydraulic conductivity value, not the inclusion of a hydrophobic organic sorbing phase.
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Acknowledgments
CH2MHILL completed the research reported in this paper for U.S. EPA Region 2 via its AES10 Contract No. 68-S7-04-01 with U.S. EPA Region 9. All materials testing was completed by CH2M HILL Applied Sciences Laboratory in Corvallis, Oregon, except for the geotechnical (hydraulic conductivity) testing which was completed by GeoTesting Express (Acton, Massachusetts). The NewCem and portland cement materials were provided by Lafarge North America. The clay media were provided by CETCO, Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this paper are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of CH2M HILL or the U.S. EPA.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 19 • Issue 1 • January 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 25, 2014
Accepted: Sep 22, 2014
Published online: Nov 4, 2014
Published in print: Jan 1, 2015
Discussion open until: Apr 4, 2015
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