Many DOD installations contaminate soil through petroleum spills during the maintenance and servicing of vehicles and aircrafts. Typically, the contaminated soil is excavated and disposed as hazardous waste. An alternative to this form of waste management implements a cleanup technology that would reduce or eliminate the amount of petroleum in the excavated soil, thereby making it suitable for reuse.

Selection of the proper cleanup technology should be based on the primary objectives of stopping the release of contaminants, recovering any free product, and preventing additional spills. The selection of the appropriate cleanup technology is a site-specific decision that will be fully protective of human health and the environment and meet site remediation objectives.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests that biopiles is a proven technology effective in reducing nearly all of the concentrations of petroleum product constituents typically found in underground storage tank (UST) sites. Higher molecular weight petroleum constituents (e.g., heating and lubricating oils) require a longer degradation period. The effectiveness of a biopile system depends on the soil characteristics, petroleum constituent characteristics and climate conditions. A comprehensive site assessment must be performed before implementing any cleanup technology.

• Relatively simple to design and implement;
• Short treatment times: usually 6 months to 2 years under optimal conditions;
• Cost competitive;
• Effective on organic constituents with slow biodegradation rates; and
• Controlled vapor emissions when designed as a closed system.

• Reduction of constituent concentration of greater than 95 percent and 0.1 parts per million (ppm) is difficult to achieve;
• May not be very effective for high constituent concentrations of greater than 50,000 ppm of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH);
• Presence of significant heavy metal concentrations, greater than 2,500 ppm, may inhibit microbial growth; and
• May require a liner if leaching from the biopile is a concern.

Assumptions:

• 95,000 pounds of contaminated soil generated per year.
• A 10 cubic yard (yd³) (1 ft³ of soil is 125 pounds) soil bin is used as the enclosed biopile system or used to haul away the contaminated soil to an off-site facility for treatment.
• For off-site treatment : Cost of each 10 yd³ load is $500 for hauling, $265 for disposal, $130 for two TPH tests, and $550 for fish bioassay test (required if TPH is over 1,000 ppm).
• For biopile system: Cost of each 10 yd³ load is $130 for 2 TPH tests, and $550 for fish bioassay test (required if TPH is over 1,000 ppm).
• Equipment will include 10 yd³ soil bin and air pump.
• There will be a recurring cost for PVC pipes and fertilizer.

Cost Comparison for Off-Site Treatment vs. Biopile System

Economic Analysis Summary

Annual Savings for Biopile System: $1,693
Capital Cost for Equipment/Process: $3,000
Payback Period for Investment in Equipment/Process: 2 years

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Navy:
Mr. Robert Kratzke
Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center
1100 23rd Avenue
Port Hueneme, CA 93043-4370
Phone: (805) 982-4853

BioActive, Inc.
40 High Street
Mt. Holly,  NJ   08060
Phone: (800) 328-2613