David L. Barnes

Bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons in cold regions

1. Contamination, regulation and remediation: an introduction to bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons in cold regions Ian Snape, Larry Acomb, David L. Barnes, Steve Bainbridge, Robert Eno, Dennis M. Filler, Natalie Plato, John S. Poland, Tania C. Raymond, John L. Rayner, Martin J. Riddle, Anne G. Rike, Allison Rutter, Alexis N.Schafer, Steven D. Siciliano, and James L. Walworth 2. Freezing and frozen soils Walter Fourie and Yuri Shur 3. Movement of petroleum through freezing and frozen soils David L. Barnes and Kevin Biggar 4. Hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria in contaminated cold soils Jackie Aislabie and Julia Foght 5. Temperature effects on biodegradation of petroleum contaminants in cold soils Anne Gunn Rike, Silke Schiewer, and Dennis M. Filler 6. Analytical methods for petroleum in cold region soils Daniel M. White, D. Sarah Garland, and Craig R. Woolard 7. Treatability studies: microcosms, mesocosms and field trials Ian Snape, C. Mike Reynolds, James L. Walworth, and Susan Ferguson 8. Nutritional requirements for bioremediation James L. Walworth and Susan Ferguson 9. Landfarming James L. Walworth, C. Mike Reynolds, Allison Rutter, and Ian Snape 10. Thermally-enhanced bioremediation and integrated systems Dennis M. Filler, David L. Barnes, Ronald A. Johnson, and Ian Snape 11. Emerging technologies Dale Van Stempvoort, Kevin Biggar, Dennis M. Filler, Ronald A. Johnson, Ian Snape, Kate Mumford, William Schnabel, and Steve Bainbridge Bibliography Glossary Index.

A decision-making model for materials management of end-of-life electronic products

Abstract Currently, there is increasing attention to the environmental impact of the recycling scenarios used for end-of-life electric and electronic (E&E) products. In anticipation of future disposal and recycling concerns due to the increasing consumption of E&E equipment, a systematic management tool is essential to effectively maximize the recyclability of end-of-life products and minimize the environmental impact of recycling and disposal. In this paper, a generic decision-making methodology is developed for material recycling and disposition of E&E products. The research results in an optimal recycling scenario for general end-of-life E&E products based on the combination of environmental impact, recycling feasibility, and intensity of resource recovery. Three major factors are considered during decision making: environmental impact, related cost, and recoverable materials. These three factors are integrated through a fuzzy membership function and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The research is based on a project supported by the Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium. A computerized prototype decision-making model is developed based on the proposed methodology. The research result can be extended to the recycling process of all kinds of electromechanical scraps. Potentially, the proposed methodology can be adopted for assessing various recycling alternatives to provide environmentally friendly solutions.

Hydrogeologic assessment of the Amchitka Island nuclear test site (Alaska) with magnetotellurics

AmchitkaIsland,inAlaska,wasusedforundergroundnuclear testing from 1965 to 1971. Since the test program concluded, there have been concerns about the possible release of radionuclides into the marine environment of the Aleutian Islands. The hydrogeology of islands such asAmchitka is characterized by a layer of freshwater overlying a saltwater layer, with the salinity increasing across a transition zone TZ. Hydrogeologic modelingcanprovideanestimateofthetimingandamountofradionuclide release from the explosions beneathAmchitka Island. This modeling is inconclusive because of a lack of information regarding subsurface structure.To address this problem, magnetotelluric MT data were collected on Amchitka Island in 2004. Broadband MT data were recorded on profiles passing through threeexplosionsitestogiveinformationaboutsubsurfaceporosity and salinity. A 2D MT inversion produced models of subsurface electrical resistivity and showed a pattern of increasing, decreasing, and increasing resistivity with depth at each test site. The depth at which resistivity begins to decrease defines the top of the TZ. The deeper increase in resistivity approximates the base of the TZ. The depths of the top and bottom of the TZ were determined as follows: Cannikin 900‐2500 m; Long Shot 600‐ 1700 m; Milrow 900‐1700 m. Uncertainties were estimated for thesedepths.Effectiveporositieswerealsoestimatedandranged from 10%‐20% at the surface to 1%‐3% at 3-km depth. These porosities are higher than those assumed in several hydrogeologic models, and give longer transit times from the explosion to the marine environment. Subject to the limits of the analysis, it appears that each of the cavities resulting from underground nuclearexplosionsislocatedintheTZfromfreshtosaltwater.This impliesshortertransittimestothemarineenvironmentthanifthe detonationshadbeenlocatedinthesaltwaterlayer.

Lead and copper contamination of soil from industrial activities and firing ranges

Lead still remains one of the most thoroughly investigated heavy metals in the environment. Although the identification of lead in soil is a routine matter, its environmental consequence is still much debated because of its potential mobility. We have investigated leadand copper-contaminated soil from two different areas. One was in an urban area, which formerly had a lead smelter within the city. The other a firing range, in which hundreds of thousands of rounds were fired into a very large mound known as a berm. Homogeneity tests, depth profiles, and Pb-Cu correlations are discussed.

Equilibrium distribution of petroleum hydrocarbons in freezing ground

Past documented laboratory measurements have shown movement of petroleum hydrocarbons to the freezing front in contaminated freezing soils. The mechanisms that are, in part, responsible for the increased contaminant concentration at the freezing front are illustrated in this study with a mass-balance model. Results from this quantitative analysis show that this concentration increase is due to exclusion of petroleum hydrocarbon from the crystalline ice structure and from physical displacement of liquid petroleum hydrocarbon from the pore space as water freezes and expands into ice. Consequences of this process in relation to contaminant migration in freezing soils through time are discussed.

Transport of fecal bacteria by boots and vehicle tires in a rural Alaskan community

People living without piped water and sewer can be at increased risk for diseases transmitted via the fecal-oral route. One rural Alaskan community that relies on hauling water into homes and sewage from homes was studied to determine the pathways of fecal contamination of drinking water and the human environment so that barriers can be established to protect health. Samples were tested for the fecal indicator, Escherichia coli, and the less specific indicator group, total coliforms. Shoes transported fecal contamination from outside to floor material inside buildings. Contamination in puddles on the road, in conjunction with contamination found on all-terrain vehicle (ATV) tires, supports vehicle traffic as a mechanism for transporting contamination from the dumpsite or other source areas to the rest of the community. The abundance of fecal bacteria transported around the community on shoes and ATV tires suggests that centralized measures for waste disposal as well as shoe removal in buildings could improve sanitation and health in the community.

Spill evaluation of petroleum products in freezing ground

In North American cold regions, terrestrial spill-response tactics have evolved through clean-up experience with crude oil and refined petroleum products. Alaska has developed response tactics as guidelines for clean-up of petroleum-based spills. Generic application of any response tactic without regard for season, site-specific conditions, and equipment limitations can further damage an ecosystem. For example, the practice of igniting and burning petroleum product spilled onto frozen tundra without consideration of the anthropogenic effect on the surface energy balance may actually increase the vertical migration of the spilled product. Prior to application of any mitigation strategy to a release of petroleum product, the movement of the product through freezing soil needs to be better understood. Case studies are presented, and lessons learned from them are discussed.

Assessing the Performance of a Cold Region Evapotranspiration Landfill Cover Using Lysimetry and Electrical Resistivity Tomography

In order to test the efficacy of a cold-region evapotranspiration (ET) landfill cover against a conventional compacted clay (CCL) landfill cover, two pilot scale covers were constructed in side-by-side basin lysimeters () at a site in Anchorage, Alaska. The primary basis of comparison between the two lysimeters was the percolation of moisture from the bottom of each lysimeter. Between 30 April 2005 and 16 May 2006, 51.5 mm of water percolated from the ET lysimeter, compared to 50.6 mm for the the CCL lysimeter. This difference was not found to be significant at the 95% confidence level. As part of the project, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was utilized to measure and map soil moisture in ET lysimeter cross sections. The ERT-generated cross sections were found to accurately predict the onset and duration of lysimeter percolation. Moreover, ERT-generated soil moisture values demonstrated a strong linear relationship to lysimeter percolation rates (R–Squared = 0.92). Consequently, ERT is proposed as a reliable tool for assessing the function of field scale ET covers in the absence of drainage measurement devices.

Uncertainty in predicting the rate of mass removal created by soil vapour extraction systems.

Recently, several soil gas flow and vapor transport numerical models have been developed for use in designing soil vapor extraction (SVE) systems. This article examines how uncertainties in soil properties, specifically permeability, corresponds to uncertainties in the prediction of mass removal rates by numerical models. Scaling equations were first derived for both relevant geometric and nongeometric modeling parameters to enable the examination of the impact of uncertainties associated with spatial variations in soil properties on the prediction of mass removal rates in a somewhat general manner. Monte Carlo analyses of volatile organic compound removal from a hypothetical contaminated soil by SVE were then used to investigate the effect of system operation time and permeability variance on the uncertainty in mass removal rates as predicted by a numerical model. Results showed that uncertainty in the predicted mass removal rate increases as both mass removal increases and as the assumed permeability variance increases. These results indicate that the design of SVE system using deterministic modeling methods may not always correlate to an effective SVE system.

Movement of trichloroethene in a discontinuous permafrost zone

At a site with discontinuous permafrost in Fairbanks, Alaska, releases of trichloroethene (TCE), an industrial solvent, have caused contamination of the groundwater. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the migration pathway of the TCE groundwater plume and the distribution of the discontinuous permafrost at the site. The TCE plume configuration is substantially different than what regional hydrology trends would predict. Using GIS, we conducted a geostatistical analysis of field data collected during soil-boring installations and groundwater monitoring well sampling. With the analysis results, we constructed maps of the permafrost-table elevation (top of permafrost) and of the groundwater gradients and TCE concentrations from multiyear groundwater sampling events. The plume concentrations and groundwater gradients were overlain on the permafrost map to correlate permafrost locations with groundwater movement and the spatial distribution of TCE moving with groundwater. Correlation of the overlay maps revealed converging and diverging groundwater flow in response to the permafrost-table distribution, the absence of groundwater contamination in areas with a high permafrost-table elevation, and channeling of contaminants and water between areas of permafrost. In addition, we measured groundwater elevations in nested wells to quantify vertical gradients affecting TCE migration. At one set of nested wells down gradient from an area of permafrost we measured an upward vertical gradient indicating recharge of groundwater from the subpermafrost region of the aquifer causing dilution of the plume. The study indicates that the variable distribution of the permafrost is affecting the way groundwater and TCE move through the aquifer. Consequently, changes to the permafrost configuration due to thawing would likely affect both groundwater movement and TCE migration, and areas that were contaminant-free may become susceptible to contamination.