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Activated Carbon-Based Technology for In Situ Remediation

EPA 542-F-18-001 | April 2018

Remedial Technology Fact


Sheet – Activated Carbon-
Based Technology for
In Situ Remediation
Introduction
This fact sheet, developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation,
At a Glance concerns an emerging remedial technology that applies a combination of
activated carbon (AC) and chemical and/or biological amendments for in
 An emerging remedial technology
combining adsorption by activated situ remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated by organic
carbon (AC) and degradation by contaminants, primarily petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents.
reactive amendments. The technology typically is designed to carry out two contaminant removal
 Several commercial products of processes: adsorption by AC and destruction by chemical and/or
various AC particle size and different biological amendments.
amendments.
 Synergy between adsorption and With the development of several commercially available AC-based
degradation for treating chlorinated products, this remedial technology has been applied with increasing
solvents and petroleum frequency at contaminated sites across the country, including numerous
hydrocarbons. leaking underground storage tank (LUST) and dry cleaner sites (Simon
 Applied to treat plumes but also 2015). It also has been recently applied at several Superfund sites, and
residual source in low-permeability federal facility sites that are not on the National Priorities List.
zones.
 Primarily uses direct push injection, This fact sheet provides information to practitioners and regulators for a
including high-pressure in low- better understanding of the science and current practice of AC-based
permeability zones for granular AC- remedial technologies for in situ applications. The uncertainties
and powdered AC-based products associated with the applications and performance of the technology also
and low pressure for colloidal AC- are discussed.
based products in high-permeability
zones. Injection well has also been
used for delivering colloidal AC- What is AC-based technology?
based products.
 Requires adequate characterization  AC-based technology applies a composite or mixture of AC and
(i.e., a high-resolution conceptual site chemical and/or biological amendments that commonly are used in a
model (CSM)) for effective remedial range of in situ treatment technologies.
design.
 Adsorption to AC results in rapid
 Presently, five commercial AC-based products have been applied for
® ®
concentration reduction in aqueous in situ subsurface remediation in the U.S.: BOS-100 & 200 (RPI),
® ®
phase after injection. COGAC (Remington Technologies), and PlumeStop (Regenesis)
®
 Rebound may occur due to greater are the four most commonly used commercial products. CAT-100
®
contaminant influx than the rate of from RPI is the most recent product, developed based on BOS-100 .
adsorption and degradation, poor One research group in Germany also developed a product called
®
site characterization, or lack of Carbo-Iron . Detailed properties and compositions of these products
effective distribution. are shown in Exhibit 1.
 Performance assessment may be
subject to bias if AC is present in  The AC components of these products typically are acquired from
monitoring wells. Other lines of specialized AC manufacturers. These types of AC have desired
evidence are important. adsorption properties for chlorinated solvents and petroleum
 Field evidence of degradation is hydrocarbons. Different products also have different AC particle sizes,
limited but promising. However, which determine the suitable injection approach and the applicable
persistence and contribution of range of geological settings.
degradation need further validation.
Activated Carbon-Based Technology for In Situ Subsurface Remediation

How are contaminants treated by AC-based technology?


 AC-based technology involves two contaminant solvents via zero-valent iron (ZVI)-mediated
®
removal processes: adsorption and degradation. abiotic dechlorination; BOS-200 treats petroleum
®
AC is responsible for adsorption and reactive hydrocarbons by bioaugmentation. COGAC
amendments are responsible for degradation. treats either group by chemical oxidation and likely
®
 AC is composed of randomly oriented graphite subsequent biostimulation; and PlumeStop treats
stacks. The random orientation results in a highly either group by biostimulation or bioaugmentation
porous matrix having a wide range of pore sizes. depending on the specific amendments applied
Adsorption of typical groundwater organic (Exhibit 1).
contaminants (e.g., benzene, trichloroethylene)  Solid amendments (e.g., ZVI) or bacteria often
primarily occurs in micropores (<2 nm in have much larger size than micropores, the major
diameter). Large pores, mesopores and adsorption sites of AC (Exhibit 2). Therefore,
macropores, mainly serve as transport conduits for sorbed contaminants must be desorbed and
contaminants to reach adsorption sites via diffuse out of micropores to be degraded. This
intraparticle diffusion (Bansal and Goyal 2005). process is driven by the concentration gradient
 Under typical subsurface temperatures, physical between sorption sites and bulk liquid phase
adsorption is the dominant adsorption mechanism, (Spetel Jr et al. 1989; Tseng et al. 2011).
which is a reversible process governed by the van  Contaminant removal is controlled by the dynamic
Der Waals force (Karanfil and Kildulff 1999). equilibrium between contaminant influx, adsorption
Contaminant desorption can occur when and degradation. This has been suggested to
equilibrium conditions (e.g., pH, plume occur in biological activated carbon reactors for
composition) change, but AC applications in wastewater treatment, where the relative
sediment remediation showed that the desorption contribution of adsorption and biodegradation to
rate from AC is much slower than that from contaminant removal varies at different operational
indigenous sediment materials (Sun and Ghosh stages (Voice et al. 1992; Zhao et al. 1999).
2008). Contaminants stay within the treatment zone when
 Chemical or biological amendments determine the combined rates of adsorption and degradation
contaminant groups treated and degradation exceed the incoming mass flux.
®
pathways supported. BOS-100 treats chlorinated

Exhibit 1: Properties of six AC-based products that have been used for in situ applications

Target
Product Property Degradation Pathway
Contaminant
® Chlorinated Abiotic reductive
BOS-100 Granular AC (GAC) impregnated by ZVI
solvents dechlorination

® Powder AC (PAC) mixed with nutrients, Petroleum Aerobic and anaerobic


BOS-200
electron acceptors, and facultative bacteria mix Hydrocarbons bioaugmentation
®
® BOS-100 and reductive dechlorination Chlorinated Abiotic and biotic reductive
CAT-100
bacterial strains solvents dechlorination

Chlorinated
Chemical oxidation,
® GAC or PAC mixed with calcium peroxide, and solvents or
COGAC aerobic and anaerobic
sodium persulfate petroleum
biostimulation
hydrocarbons

Enhanced biotic reductive


Colloidal AC suspension with an organic Chlorinated
dechlorination for
® stabilizer, co-applied with hydrogen or oxygen solvents or
PlumeStop chlorinated solvents and
release compounds, and/or corresponding petroleum
aerobic biodegradation for
bacterial strains hydrocarbons
petroleum hydrocarbons

® Chlorinated Abiotic reductive


Carbo-Iron Colloidal AC impregnated with ZVI
solvents dechlorination

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Activated Carbon-Based Technology for In Situ Subsurface Remediation

®
Exhibit 2. (Left) Conceptual structure and (Right) transmission electron micrograph (TEM) of Carbo-Iron
(Adopted from Mackenzie et al. 2016)

What are the potential benefits of using AC-based remedial technology?


 Adsorption can significantly retard contaminant nZVI from undesired side reactions with
migration and decrease dissolved phase dissolved oxygen and water, which often
concentrations. Retaining contaminants in the outcompete contaminant degradation for nZVI
AC matrix allows longer residence time for because of their greater abundance.
contaminants to be degraded by reactive  Adsorption may enrich chemicals (including both
amendments. The coupling of adsorption and contaminants and nutrients) over time to
degradation reduces the potential for facilitate formation of active biofilm and
contaminant rebound that frequently is biodegradation (Voice et al. 1992). The
encountered with conventional treatment combined effects may significantly reduce the
technologies (e.g., pump and treat (P&T) or in time frame to reach remedial objectives.
situ chemical oxidation (ISCO)).
 For high concentration of chlorinated VOCs,
 AC impregnated with nano zerovalent iron adsorption onto AC decreases the initial high
(nZVI) is shown to have more persistent aqueous contaminant concentration that inhibits
reactivity than suspended nZVI particles (Choi et biological dechlorination and shortens the lag
al. 2009). It was suggested that AC may protect phase for biodegradation (Aktas et al. 2012).

How is AC-based remedial technology implemented in field?


 Grid injection that targets a well-defined  Less frequently, soil mixing or trenching has also
contaminated area commonly is used if the been used for emplacement of GAC or PAC-
footprint of treatment areas is relatively small, based amendments provided suitable
such as some LUST sites or localized hotspots. hydrogeological conditions. For example, BOS-
 For plume, barrier applications commonly are 100, a GAC-based product, was emplaced by
used. AC-based amendments typically are deep soil mixing in a sandy aquifer during a pilot
emplaced in transects to form a series of test at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, after high-
permeable reactive zones that are perpendicular pressure injection showed poor amendment
to the direction of plumes. An external water distribution (ITRC 2011).
supply typically is needed to mix and dilute  Colloidal AC-based amendments are emplaced by
amendments in these barrier wall configurations. low-pressure injection (e.g., 30–50 psi) using
 High-pressure injection (typically 300 to 1000 psi), direct push or permanent injection wells without
(i.e., hydraulic fracturing), is used for emplacing creating artificial fractures. As a result, the
Granular AC(GAC)- or Powder AC(PAC)-based amendment primarily is applied to more
amendments due to the need to open up the permeable formations such as sands and gravels.
formation for emplacement of the large particles. However, even a low-permeability aquifer may
As fracturing is more effective in low-permeability contain permeable (flux) zones that permit
formations, GAC or PAC-based amendments application of colloidal AC-based amendment.
typically are injected in tight formations, such as
clays and silts (Winner and Fox 2016).
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Activated Carbon-Based Technology for In Situ Subsurface Remediation

How is AC-based amendment distributed in the subsurface?


 For GAC- and PAC-based amendments, high- development of fractures (i.e., direct push jet
pressure injection typically produces thin seams or injection), but these approaches have not been
lenses of AC in seemingly random directions. In applied to injecting AC-based amendments.
tight geologies, fractures typically have higher  For colloidal AC, the particles infiltrate into the
permeability than surrounding formations. This permeable zone or formation upon low-pressure
difference may allow contaminant desorption and injection and eventually deposit onto the surface of
diffusion from the low-permeability formations into soil grains due to surface-surface interactions. The
the fractures. The conceptual model is shown on presence of an organic polymer improves the
the left in Exhibit 3. Tight injection spacing in both colloidal stability and transport in the subsurface.
horizontal and vertical directions is recommended Therefore, the distribution of amendments in flux
to obtain sufficient coverage as it is difficult to zones is expected to be more uniform than
control the formation and growth of fractures induced fracturing of AC-based amendments of
(Murdoch, 1995). Some recent improvements larger particle size (Exhibit 3, on right).
have been made to better control the direction and

Exhibit 3. Different conceptual distribution patterns between GAC- or PAC-based amendment


(left) and colloidal AC-based amendment (right). Dark regions represent the forms of
amendment distribution and arrows represent the directions of contaminant flux entering the
AC zone. (Adapted from Fan et al. 2017).

What are the key factors to consider during remedial design?


 Design of AC-based remedies primarily focuses various in situ rapid screening tools, such as the
on defining optimal injection locations and membrane interface probe (MIP) (Winner and Fox
loadings, which are affected by the treatment 2016; EPA 2016); laser induced fluorescence (LIF)
approach and objective (e.g., area treatment to technique for non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL);
reduce mass flux or barrier application to intercept or a photo ionization detector (PID) for soil
plume). The key to effective remedial design of screening on-site. Selected samples can be
AC-based technology (or any in situ remedial subject to more rigorous laboratory analysis if
technology), is to conduct adequate site needed.
characterization to create a sufficiently detailed  For GAC- and PAC- based amendments, it is
CSM. important to profile the vertical distribution of
 Subsurface geology and contaminant mass contaminant mass as it determines the vertical
distribution are the two major aspects to injection interval and injection loading at each
characterize during remedial design investigation interval, especially when the remedy is designed
(Winner and Fox 2016). Subsurface hydrogeology to treat a residual source area with heterogeneous
can be characterized by grain size distribution lithology. At a former manufacturing site in Denver,
®
analysis, clear water injection, or hydraulic the initial injection of BOS-100 near the source
profiling (Birnstingl et al. 2014). Contaminant area did not achieve performance objectives.
distribution can be qualitatively determined by Further high-resolution site characterization
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Activated Carbon-Based Technology for In Situ Subsurface Remediation

revealed highly heterogeneous contaminant amendment loading. However, the actual


distribution in the vertical direction. Subsequent adsorption capacity varies with contaminant
injection loading and approach were adjusted to concentration and can be further complicated by
the contaminant distribution pattern, which competitive adsorption and potential growth of
significantly improved the remedy performance biofilm.
(Noland et al. 2012; Harp 2014).  Vendors often are willing to actively participate in
 For colloidal AC-based amendments, it is the remedial investigation and design phases to
important to locate the high-permeability zones ensure successful implementation and desired
and estimate the mass flux across those zones to performance of their products. Spreadsheets are
determine where to apply the amendments, and available from the vendors to calculate the loading
how much is needed. rates of amendments based on estimated
 Contaminants associated with soil (e.g., sorbed) contaminant mass (or mass flux), adsorption
and residual NAPL phase represent the majority of capacity, remedial objectives, and the designed
the contaminant mass stored in low-permeability lifetime of the remedy. However, the calculation is
zones, and can serve as a long-term source for largely empirical due to various uncertainties
groundwater contamination. The calculation of caused by subsurface heterogeneity. Based on
contaminant loading needs to consider the rates of discussion with the vendors, a safety factor of 5 to
back diffusion of source material or the total mass 20 is recommended for estimating amendment
of contamination. loading.
 Laboratory-measured adsorption capacity often
serves as a benchmark value to calculate

How does the AC-based remedial technology perform in the field?


 The four commercial AC-based products PAC-based products at LUST sites in Colorado
combined have accumulated more than 1500 also identified frequent rebound (Fox 2015).
applications in North America and Europe as of Possible reasons cited for rebound include
2015 (Simon 2015). To date, this technology has underestimation of contaminant mass due to poor
been used or selected at four NPL sites and one site characterization (Fox 2015); insufficient
RCRA corrective action site. amendment distribution due to large injection
spacing or poor implementation (Fox 2015); or
 Field data generally show rapid decrease of
contaminant mass influx exceeding the
aqueous contaminant concentration after
combination of adsorption and degradation
emplacement of the amendments when initial
(Mackenzie et al. 2016).
contaminant concentration is high. The decrease
is more gradual when initial contaminant  AC frequently is observed in monitoring wells post
concentration is low (e.g., <100 ppb). Temporary injection. Given amendment distribution is likely
rebound shortly after injection is common, and not uniform, especially when high-pressure
may occur when equilibrium is reestablished after injection is used, caution needs to be taken when
enhanced contaminant desorption from aquifer using impacted monitoring wells for performance
solids, or when plume is temporarily displaced by evaluation. Concentrations measured in those
injection of amendments in large volumes. wells may not accurately represent the aquifer
concentrations. In addition, impacted wells also
 Regenesis evaluated the performance of
® typically should not be used for attainment
PlumeStop applied at 24 sites between 2014 and
monitoring because post remediation conditions
2016 by pooling contaminant concentrations from 1
may not be reached (EPA 2013; EPA 2014) .
34 monitoring wells (Davis 2016). Regenesis
Other lines of evidence are recommended for
found more than 65% of wells achieved >95%
confirming the treatment performance achieved in
reduction within 1–3 months after injection. The
the treatment zone.
initial rapid response is most likely due to rapid
adsorption process.  Several measures have been taken to improve
confidence in performance assessment using
 Rebound of contamination has been observed at
monitoring wells. Examples include preventing or
some sites that applied AC-based amendments.
The same study by Regenesis (Davis 2016) found
1
that 15% of the wells examined showed some “The attainment monitoring phase typically occurs after EPA makes a
determination that the remediation monitoring phase is complete. When
rebound over an average of 6-month time frame
the attainment phase begins, data typically are collected to evaluate if
but the rebound is generally <10% of pre- the well has reached post remediation conditions (i.e., steady state
treatment concentrations. Early applications of conditions) where remediation activities, if employed, are no longer
influencing the groundwater in the well.” (EPA 2013)
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Activated Carbon-Based Technology for In Situ Subsurface Remediation

minimizing well impact using geochemical treatment zone to observe for decreasing
parameters as early indicators for breakthrough of contaminant trend (Winner and Fox, 2016).
AC; installing new wells near the existing impacted Removing AC from impacted wells prior to
wells to demonstrate that either amendment sampling could be another solution. It has been
distribution is not localized or AC-free wells exhibit shown to be moderately successful for colloidal
similar treatment effects as AC-impacted wells; AC but not work for AC with large particle sizes,
and monitoring downgradient wells adjacent to the according to vendors and practitioners.

What is the evidence for degradation?


 Degradation is generally an indispensable o At one chlorinated solvent site where
®
component of contaminant removal processes by PlumeStop was injected with a hydrogen
®
AC-based amendments. Without degradation, AC- release compound (HRC ) and
based remedial technology may serve only to Dehalococcoides cultures, the combination
stabilize the contaminants, and contaminants may significantly increased the abundance of
break through once adsorption capacity is degraders and functional genes in the
exhausted or when desorption occurs. Throughout aqueous phase after injection. The high
the development of the technology, the uncertainty abundance was sustained for over 500
regarding the importance and persistence of days, even though the dissolved
degradation has been a major hurdle for wide tetrachloroethene (PCE) remained below the
acceptance of the technology. detection limit. This pattern suggests that
enhanced concentrations of microbial
 Bench-scale tests have demonstrated the
indicators resulted from enhanced microbial
effectiveness of degradation processes involved in
activity in the up-gradient AC barrier.
AC-based remedial products (Birnstingl et al. ®
2014). However, controlled laboratory results may o At one petroleum site where COGAC was
not guarantee field effectiveness, especially for injected, groundwater samples were
biodegradation that is more variable because of collected one year after injection. In these
field heterogeneities. samples, the abundance of six anaerobic
BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and
 It is difficult to confirm contaminant degradation in
xylenes) and PAH (polycyclic aromatic
the field. Both adsorption and degradation can
hydrocarbon) degraders was found to be 2
result in decreasing contaminant concentrations
to 4 orders of magnitude higher in samples
without the appearance of daughter products,
collected from wells within the injection
which may also be adsorbed by AC. Use of
influence zone than in samples collected
contaminant data from monitoring wells does not
from a well outside the injection influence
distinguish contaminant removal by adsorption
zone.
from that by degradation. ®
o At one petroleum site where BOS-200 was
 To date, field evidence of degradation has been
injected to form a permeable reactive zone,
limited and largely qualitative. For petroleum
compound specific isotope analysis (CSIA)
hydrocarbons, depletion of nitrate or sulfate, and
was conducted on samples collected from
production of volatile fatty acids, have been
wells up- and downgradient of the PRB two
suggested as evidence of biodegradation.
years after injection. Compared to the
 For chlorinated solvents, production of chloride upgradient well, the downgradient wells
has been used to indicate dechlorination, but this consistently show small but evident
line of evidence only applies when background 13
enrichment of C for several BTEX
chloride concentration is low or contaminant compounds, indicating occurrence of
concentration is very high (i.e., near the source biodegradation of these compounds.
area). In one pilot test of Carbo-Iron, significant
elevation of ethene and ethane was used as  Applications of AC in other contaminant removal
evidence for abiotic reductive dechlorination processes such as wastewater and sediment
(Mackenzie et al. 2016). treatment have suggested that AC enhances
 More recently, environmental molecular diagnostic biodegradation by promoting the formation of
(EMD) tools have shown promise for assessing biofilms, which can be attributed to increasing
biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons and nutrient retention, enhanced resistance to
chlorinated solvents (ITRC 2013). The following environmental shocks, and increased microbial
recent data was provided to EPA by three vendors diversity (Simpson 2008; Kjellerup et al. 2014).
of AC-based products to demonstrate degradation:
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Activated Carbon-Based Technology for In Situ Subsurface Remediation

What is the long-term effectiveness of AC-based remedial technology?


 The longevity of AC-based remedial technology is long-term effectiveness of the technology. This
of particular interest because the long-term aspect remains to be further investigated.
effectiveness to counter slow and persistent  Competitive adsorption may affect long-term
contaminant flux (from diffusion, desorption, and effectiveness. Competitive adsorption refers to a
dissolution) is one of the major benefits claimed process where strongly sorbed compounds may
for this technology. displace weakly sorbed compounds, resulting in
 Currently, there is lack of sufficient monitoring data release of the latter. Competitive adsorption
to assess the long-term performance due to either should be evaluated for treating comingled plumes
recent implementation or the lack of long-term or plumes where degradation intermediates are
monitoring requirements at many small sites. expected to form if degradation stalls or does not
Thus, the long-term effectiveness of this proceed to completion. For example, sorbed
technology remains to be further evaluated when benzene may be displaced by xylene in a BTEX
data become available. plume. For a chlorinated solvent plume, daughter
 The relative contribution of contaminant adsorption products such as cis-dichloroethene (DCE) or vinyl
versus degradation is a critical parameter for chloride may be displaced by PCE or
evaluating the long-term performance. As trichloroethene (TCE). This potential desorption
contaminant can eventually break through when behavior again highlights the importance of
adsorption capacity becomes exhausted, supporting degradation activity and including
degradation is the main driver in maintaining the (bio)degradation assessment in a long-term
monitoring plan.

Where and when should AC-based remedial technology be considered?


 AC-based remedial technology provides an issues resulted from changes in subsurface redox
effective approach to address persistent plumes conditions due to application of reactive
emanating from low-permeability sources, amendments. At one site, the effectiveness of the
desorption, or dissolution of residual NAPL phase. adsorption mechanism alone is proposed to last
 AC-based remedial technology could be sufficiently long to allow time for source treatment.
considered when other remedial options at a site However, long-term monitoring data are required
have demonstrated limited effectiveness. For to confirm long-term performance.
example, applications of AC-based remediation at  While emplacement of AC-based amendments
LUST sites in Colorado and Kentucky (primarily typically is not considered as a source treatment
PAC-based amendments) mainly occurred at sites technology due to concerns of exhausting the
dominated by low-permeability formations, adsorption capacity quickly, emplacements of AC
including fractured bedrock, where soil vapor in sources or around source areas as a barrier
extraction or bioremediation was not successful have been applied in the field. The goal is to
(Winner and Fox 2016). significantly reduce contaminant mass flux out of
 AC-based remedial technology can serve as a the sources to reduce downgradient impacts. The
cost-saving alternative to active P&T to prevent technology can be coupled with source zone
plume migration. It may also complement an treatment technologies, such as in situ thermal
existing P&T system to contain a plume by treatment, or with excavation when not all
reducing the rate or area for pumping. contaminated material can be removed.
 Several recent Superfund AC applications used  In scenarios where fast groundwater flow velocity
AC only without adding reactive amendments for might limit the effectiveness of soluble
treating low-concentration chlorinated solvent amendments due to dilution, colloidal AC-based
plumes. The approach was selected to avoid amendments may be considered since they more
potential generation of poorly sorbed daughter rapidly adsorb to aquifer materials and are more
products or avoid secondary groundwater quality likely to remain in the target treatment area.

Where can I find more information?


 Akta_, Ö., K.R. Schmidt, S. Mungenast, C. Stoll, 103(1):286-292.
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Dehalococcoides spp. Bioresource Technology CRC Press.
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Notice and Disclaimer


This document has been reviewed in accordance with U.S. EPA procedures and has been approved for publication as a
U.S. EPA publication. The information in this paper is not intended, nor can it be relied upon, to create any rights
enforceable by any party in litigation with the United States or any other party. This document is neither regulation nor
should it be construed to represent EPA policy or guidance. Use or mention of trade names does not constitute an
endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. EPA.
This project was supported in part by an appointment to the Internship/Research Participation Program at the Office of
Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation, U.S. EPA, administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and
Education through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. EPA.

A PDF version of this document, Technical Fact Sheet– Activated-carbon based Technology for In Situ Remediation, is
available to view or download at https://clu-in.org/s.focus/c/pub/i/2727/

For further information, contact Technology Assessment Branch, Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology
Innovation, Office of Land and Emergency Management.

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