Ivey-sol Technical In-situ Overview Document

1.0 CHALLENGE & OPPORTUNITY

Normally hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOC), including low (i.e., BTEX and Gasoline), medium (i.e., Diesel and PAH), and high (i.e., Motor Oil, Lubricants, Bunker-C) molecular weight petroleum hydrocarbon contaminants (C6 to C50 range) exhibit limited solubility in groundwater, and as a result, these contaminants tend to partition and sorb (i.e., absorb and/or adsorb) onto the soil or bedrock matrix surfaces, and at high concentrations, they may form a free floating sheen or droplets (NAPL). For the purpose of this proposal HOC will be interchangeable COC.

COC sorption and/or the formation of NAPL (free product) will limit the ‘Availability’ of HOC for in-situ remediation. Hence they are less ‘Physically Available’ for pump and treatment methods; less ‘Biologically Available’ for bioremediation, and less ‘Chemically Available’ for chemical REDOX type chemical treatment. Hence COC’s (i.e., sorbed, dissolved, and/or free phases) can persist in soils, sediments, and fractured bedrock and/or groundwater systems for extended periods of time. This explains why some remediation projects are slow, costly and/or fail to achieve site remediation objectives.