This report presents cost and performance data for the application of on-site incineration at the Rose Township Dump Superfund Site (Rose Township Site) in Holly, Michigan. An infrared incinerator was operated from September 1992 through October 1993 as part of a remedial action. The contaminants of concern at the Rose Township site were PCBs, metals, and volatile and semivolatile organic compounds.
From 1966 to 1968 approximately 5,000 drums containing spent solvents, paint sludges, lead battery sludges, and waste oils were buried in a 12-acre area at the Rose Township Dump site. Bulk wastes were also discharged to the surface or into shallow lagoons or pits in the area.
During the Remedial Investigation (RI), PCBs were detected in the soil at concentrations up to 980 mg/kg. The majority of PCB contamination was contained in an area approximately 200 feet by 750 feet. Excavation of material to depths of 22 feet was required to meet the cleanup goals. Lead was detected at concentrations up to 3,200 mg/kg. A variety of volatile and semivolatile organic compounds also were detected in soils during the RI. The most common contaminants (and maximum concentrations) were toluene (4,700 mg/kg), ethylbenzene (430 mg/kg), chlorobenzene (570 mg/kg), xylene (1,400 mg/kg), naphthalene (31 mg/kg), pentachlorophenol (32 mg/kg), acetone (76 mg/kg), and total phthalates (91 mg/kg).
On September 30, 1987, EPA signed a Record of Decision (ROD) specifying on-site incineration as the selected remedy for contaminated soil at the Rose Township Site. Performance standards for the incineration process included a destruction and removal efficiency (DRE) of 99.9999% for PCBs. A consent decree was signed by 12 potentially responsible parties (PRPs) and EPA in 1988 to remediate the site.
Remedial actions were managed by Perini Environmental, a remedial contractor hired by the PRPs, and were performed under the oversight of EPA Region 5.
Contaminated soil was excavated using backhoes and longarms. Prior to incineration, excavated material was screened to less than one inch in diameter, and blended with fuel oil to achieve the desired BTU value. Wet soil was dried in a drying building by heaters and blowers prior to screening. Oversize rocks, tree stumps, and personal protective equipment were shredded and incinerated. Intact drums unearthed during the excavation of soil were disposed of off the site.
The incinerator used to process soils at the Rose Township site was the OHM Mobile Infrared Thermal Destruction Unit (TDU). Off-gases from the preliminary combustion chamber were routed to a secondary combustion chamber (SCC) for further destruction of any remaining VOCs and PCBs. Kiln ash was quenched by a water-cooled screw.
Exhaust gas from the kiln was directed to an air pollution control system (APCS). The APCS consisted of a water spray to reduce the temperature of the SCC exit gas, a low-energy venturi scrubber and a packed bed adsorber to control particulates and acid gas, and a high-energy venturi scrubber and mist eliminator to control metals emissions and remove additional particulates. All of the wastewater generated by the system was treated on site and discharged under a NPDES permit.
During the on-site incineration remedial action, 34,000 tons of contaminated soil were incinerated. Treatment performance and emissions data collected during this application indicated that all performance standards and emissions requirements were achieved.
The total cost for remediation using the incineration system was approximately $12 million.
Click here
for an Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the full report.
Adobe Acrobat Reader is
required to view PDF documents.
Click
here to download a free copy of the Reader.