Seokjoon Kwon

Activated Carbon Mitigates Mercury and Methylmercury Bioavailability in Contaminated Sediments

There are few available in situ remediation options for Hg contaminated sediments, short of capping. Here we present the first tests of activated carbon and other sorbents as potential in situ amendments for remediation of mercury and methylmercury (MeHg), using a study design that combined 2 L sediment/water microcosms with 14 day bioaccumulation assays. Our key end points were pore water concentrations, and bioaccumulation of total Hg and MeHg by a deposit-feeding oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus. Four amendments were tested: an activated carbon (AC); CETCO Organoclay MRM (MRM); Thiol-SAMMS (TS), a thiol-functionalized mesoporous silica; and AMBERSEP GT74, an ion-exchange resin. Amendments were tested in four separate microcosm assays using Hg-contaminated sediments from two freshwater and two estuarine sites. AC and TS amendments, added at 2-7% of the dry weight of sediments significantly reduced both MeHg concentrations in pore waters, relative to unamended controls (by 45-95%) and bioaccumulation of MeHg by Lumbriculus (by between 30 and 90%). Both amendments had only small impacts on microcosm surface water, sediment and pore water chemistry, with the exception of significant reductions in pore water dissolved organic matter. The effectiveness of amendments in reducing bioaccumulation was well-correlated with their effectiveness in increasing sediment:water partitioning, especially of MeHg. Sediments with low native sediment:water MeHg partition coefficients were most effectively treated. Thus, in situ sediment sorbent amendments may be able to reduce the risk of biotic Hg and MeHg uptake in contaminated sediments, and subsequent contamination of food webs.

Advection dominated transport of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in amended sediment caps.

Typical sand caps used for sediment remediation have little sorption capacity to retard the migration of hydrophobic contaminants such as PAHs that can be mobilized by significant groundwater flow. Laboratory column experiments were performed using contaminated sediments and capping materials from a creosote contaminated USEPA Superfund site. Azoic laboratory column experiments demonstrated rapid breakthrough of lower molecular weight PAHs when groundwater seepage was simulated through a column packed with coarse sand capping material. After eight pore volumes of flow, most PAHs measured showed at least 50% of initial source pore water concentrations at the surface of 65 cm capping material. PAH concentration in the cap solids was low and comparable to background levels typically seen in urban depositional sediment, but the pore water concentrations were high. Column experiments with a peat amendment delayed PAH breakthrough. The most dramatic result was observed for caps amended with activated carbon at a dose of 2% by dry weight. PAH concentrations in the pore water of the activated carbon amended caps were 3-4 orders of magnitude lower (0.04 ± 0.02 μg/L for pyrene) than concentrations in the pore water of the source sediments (26.2 ± 5.6 μg/L for pyrene) even after several hundred pore volumes of flow. Enhancing the sorption capacity of caps with activated carbon amendment even at a lower dose of 0.2% demonstrated a significant impact on contaminant retardation suggesting consideration of active capping for field sites prone to groundwater upwelling or where thin caps are desired to minimize change in bathymetry and impacts to aquatic habitats.

Evaluation of sorbent amendments for in situ remediation of metal‐contaminated sediments

The present study evaluated sorbent amendments for in situ remediation of sediments contaminated with two divalent metals. A literature review screening was performed to identify low-cost natural mineral-based metal sorbents and high-performance commercial sorbents that were carried forward into laboratory experiments. Aqueous phase metal sorptivity of the selected sorbents was evaluated because dissolved metals in sediment porewater constitute an important route of exposure to benthic organisms. Based on pH-edge sorption test results, natural sorbents were eliminated due to inferior performance. The potential as in situ sediment amendment was explored by comparing the sorption properties of the engineered amendments in freshwater and saltwater (10 PPT salinity estuarine water) matrices. Self-assembled monolayers on mesoporous supports with thiols (Thiol-SAMMS) and a titanosilicate mineral (ATS) demonstrated the highest sorption capacity for cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), respectively. Sequential extraction tests conducted after mixing engineered sorbents with contaminated sediment demonstrated transfer of metal contaminants from a weakly bound state to a more strongly bound state. Biouptake of Cd in a freshwater oligochaete was reduced by 98% after 5-d contact of sediment with 4% Thiol-SAMMS and sorbed Cd was not bioavailable. While treatment with ATS reduced the small easily extractable portion of Pb in the sediment, the change in biouptake of Pb was not significant because most of the native lead was strongly bound. The selected sorbents added to sediments at a dose of 5% were mostly nontoxic to a range of sensitive freshwater and estuarine benthic organisms. Metal sorbent amendments in conjunction with activated carbon have the potential to simultaneously reduce metal and hydrophobic contaminant bioavailability in sediments.

Removal of Toxicity, COD, and Fe from a Metal-Working Facility UF Permeate

AbstractA metal-working facility employs two ultrafiltration (UF) membrane systems to treat spent metal working fluids and oily waste from sumps and other nonpoint sources. The facility is regulated for oil/grease, toxicity and Fe. Chemical-oxygen demand (COD) will be added in future permits. Also, the facility’s domestic wastewater treatment plant is aging, requiring replacement. Short-term treatment solutions were developed for toxicity and total Fe. A long-term approach for addressing Fe, toxicity, and COD and treatment of the facility’s domestic wastewater in a single bioprocess was also investigated. In the short term, granular activated carbon (GAC) columns were selected to remove toxicity and an aeration/pH adjustment/settling process was selected for Fe. Toxicity, COD, and Fe were removed successfully in a biological sequencing batch reactor (SBR) process, and a packaged conventional wastewater treatment plant will most likely be the chosen long-term solution. Depending on the discharge COD limit,...