The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program, now in its eleventh year, encourages the development and implementation of (1) innovative treatment technologies for hazardous waste site remediation, and (2) characterization and monitoring technologies for evaluating the nature and extent of hazardous waste site contamination.

The SITE Program was established by EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) and the Office of Research and Development (ORD) in response to the 1986 Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA), which recognized a need for an "Alternative or Innovative Treatment Technology Research and Demonstration Program." The SITE Program is administered by ORD's National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL), headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The SITE Program includes the following component programs:

• Demonstration Program ­ Conducts and evaluates demonstrations of promising innovative technologies to provide reliable performance, cost, and applicability information for site cleanup decision­making
• Emerging Technology Program ­ Provides funding to developers to continue research efforts from the bench­ and pilot­scale levels to promote the development of innovative technologies
• Characterization and Monitoring Program ­ Evaluates technologies that detect, monitor, and measure hazardous and toxic substances to provide better, faster, and more cost­effective methods for producing real­time data during site characterization and remediation
• Technology Transfer Program ­ Disseminates technical information, including engineering, performance, and cost data, on innovative technologies to remove impediments for using innovative technologies

This Technology Profiles document, a product of the Technology Transfer Program, describes completed and ongoing projects in the Demonstration, Emerging Technology, and Characterization and Monitoring Programs. Figure 1 shows the relationship among the programs and depicts the process of technology development from initial concept to commercial use.

In the Demonstration Program, the technology is field­tested on hazardous waste materials. Engineering and cost data are gathered on the innovative technology so that potential users can assess the technology's applicability to a particular site. Data collected during the field demonstration are used to assess the performance of the technology, the potential need for pre­ and post­processing of the waste, applicable types of wastes and waste matrices, potential operating problems, and approximate capital and operating costs.

At the conclusion of a SITE demonstration, EPA prepares an Innovative Technology Evaluation Report (ITER), Technology Capsule, and Demonstration Bulletin. Often, a videotape of the demonstration is also prepared. These reports evaluate all available information on the technology and analyze its overall applicability to other site characteristics, waste types, and waste matrices. Testing procedures, performance and cost data, and quality assurance and quality control standards are also presented. These demonstration documents are distributed by EPA to provide reliable technical data for environmental decision­making and to promote the technology's commercial use.

The Demonstration Program currently has 103 developers conducting 113 demonstrations. Of these projects, 85 demonstrations are complete and 28 are ongoing. The projects are divided into the following categories: thermal destruction (10), biological degradation (21), physical/chemical treatment (45), solidification/stabilization (10), physical/chemical radioactive waste treatment (2), physical/chemical thermal desorption (19), physical/chemical biological degradation (1), materials handling (3), and other (2). Several technologies represent more than one treatment category. Figure 2 shows the breakdown of technologies in the Demonstration Program.

Under the Emerging Technology Program, EPA provides technical and financial support to developers for bench­ and pilot­scale testing and evaluation of innovative technologies that are at a minimum proven on the conceptual and bench-scale levels. The program provides an opportunity for a private developer to research and develop a technology for field application and possible evaluation under the Demonstration Program. A technology's performance is documented in a Final Report, journal article, Summary, and Bulletin.

EPA has provided technical and financial support to 77 projects in the Emerging Technology Program. Of these projects, 55 are completed, 18 are ongoing in the program, and 4 have exited the program. Eighteen Emerging Technology Program projects are participating in the Demonstration Program. The 74 active technologies are divided into the following categories: thermal destruction (9), physical/chemical treatment (38), biological degradation (19), solidification/stabilization (2), and materials handling (5). Figure 3 displays the breakdown of technologies in the Emerging Technology Program.

The Characterization and Monitoring Program's (CaMP) goal is to assess innovative and alternative monitoring, measurement, and site characterization technologies. To date, 116 technology demonstrations have been completed under the SITE Program (85 in the Demonstration Program and 39 in the CaMP); many reports have been published and others are in various stages of completion.

In the Technology Transfer Program, technical information on innovative technologies in the Demonstration Program, Emerging Technology Program, and CaMP is disseminated to increase the awareness and promote the use of innovative technologies for assessment and remediation at Superfund sites. The goal of technology transfer activities is to promote communication among individuals requiring up­to­date technical information.

The Technology Transfer Program reaches the environmental community through many media, including:

• Program-specific regional, state, and industry brochures
• On­site Visitors' Days during SITE demonstrations
• Demonstration videotapes
• Project­specific fact sheets to comply with site community relations plans
• ITERs, Demonstration Bulletins, Technology Capsules, and Project Summaries
• The SITE Exhibit, displayed nationwide and internationally at conferences
• Networking through forums, associations, regions, and states
• Technical assistance to regions, states, and remediation cleanup contractors

SITE information is available through the following on­line information clearinghouses:

SITE Program Home Page: www.epa.gov/ORD/SITE/

Alternative Treatment Technology Information Center (ATTIC)
System operator: 513-569-7272; Bulletin Board Access: 513-569-7610;
Internet Access: cinbbs.cin.epa.gov

Vendor Information System for Innovative Treatment Technologies (VISITT)
Hotline: 800­245­4505

Vendor Field Analytical and Characterization Technology (Vendor Facts)
Hotline: 800-245-4505

Cleanup Information Bulletin Board System (CLU-IN) -http://clu-in.org

Technical reports may be obtained by calling the Center for Environmental Research Information (CERI) in Cincinnati, Ohio. Additional SITE documents become available throughout the year. To find out about newly published documents or to be placed on the SITE mailing list, call 513-569-7562 or write to:

The SITE Program is administered by EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD), specifically the National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL). For further information on the SITE Program or its component programs contact: