Illegal dumping of excess soil in Ontario has certainly received significant media attention in recent years. Improper management of soils can negatively impact ground or surface water quality, natural areas and agricultural lands. At the same time, disposing of excess
Activated Carbon: New to In-Situ Remediation
In the past couple of years in Canada, specially formulated activated carbon (AC) based remedial amendments have effectively contained and treated petroleum hydrocarbon and chlorinated solvent plumes. Three brief case studies are presented in this article showcasing the power of
Activated Carbon – What It Is and How It Works
Charcoal is produced by heating wood or other organic materials in the absence of oxygen at temperatures above 300⁰C. Early methods consisted of constructing earthen kilns over stacked wood. The wood is partially burned to generate heat. Heating continues
Treating a Plume with One Injection
A single injection has been used to effectively contain and treat petroleum hydrocarbon and chlorinated solvent plumes using a specially formulated activated carbon (AC) based technology. This result has been documented at hundreds of sites. It’s a welcome result over
How Do You Spell Remediation Success? C-O-M-B-I-N-E
Consider this brief, but typical summary of contaminated site remediation options: Approach Cost Result Dig & Disposal (D&D) Only $1M No site closure due to contaminant rebound in groundwater Pump & Treat (P&T) Only $100K No site closure due to
Wait, Don’t Throw That Out! The Beneficial Reuse of Soils Just May Be A Better Way To Go
When contaminated soils are an obstacle to a property transaction or redevelopment, the fastest approach is usually to dig out the soil and then haul it away. But that last step might be rash – and costly. And it unnecessarily
Finally, We Have Permeable Reactive Barriers for Petroleum Hydrocarbons!
When environmental practitioners hear the term Permeable Reactive Barrier (PRB), likely an “iron wall” most often comes to mind. This is not surprising since iron PRBs have a long history – they were installed as early as 1995 to treat
Canadian Know-How Helps Move Remediation Projects Ahead All Winter Long
As Canadians, we love to talk about the weather. It changes dramatically across the seasons and directly impacts our work and play time. Three feet of blowing snow may tend to force us indoors for Netflix marathons. But work still
Do You Know Why The Center of the Earth is Still So Hot?
When the Earth was formed 4.5 billion years ago it was a mass of molten rock. It has been cooling ever since- but very slowly. The inner core remains at an estimated temperature of greater than 5,000ºC. Interesting Fact: Moving
Dry Cleaning Fluids: A Brief History
Ancient Greeks and Romans used grease-absorbent earths and sands on clothing; the term “dry-cleaning” was likely coined as a result. Interestingly, this is where the term “fuller’s earth” originated. A fuller was a textile worker who, among other things, kneaded