New ElectroKinetic Technologies

Offered by Electro-Petroleum, Inc.

Electro-Petroleum, Inc. (EPI) is pleased to offer the
following new remediation technologies1 based on
recent Advanced ElectroKinetic developments.
These technologies have been field tested under
various SBIR programs and have been licensed from
the developer. Through this agreement Electro-
Petroleum, Inc. can provide the following services:
I. In Situ Dioxin Treatment Using
Peroxide Injection Aided By
ElectroKinetics
II. Biotechnology Enhanced With
Nutrient Introduction Using
ElectroKinetics
III. Enhance Fluid Flow Using
ElectroKinetics
IV. Transport Of Hydrogen Release
Compounds With ElectroKinetics In
Low Permeability Soils
V. Enhance Heavy Metals Removal
Through The Use Of ElectroKinetics
Combined With Phytoremediation
VI. Stabilize Soils and Build Barriers
through the In-Situ Chemical
Reactions
VII. Concrete Demolition using Low
Impact ElectroKinetics
Three of these technologies, II, V and VI, are
currently being demonstrated in the field and are
available for client visits. I, III and V have been
previously demonstrated.
remediation method. The electrokinetic soil
processing can be viewed as an entirely new
technology for:
• Controlling the horizontal and/or vertical
transport of contaminants in fine grain soils or
layered soils of variable hydraulic permeability
and moisture content
• Introduction and distribution of reagents in the
soil which can be utilized to enhance the
contaminants solubility, to immobilize them or
to achieve an optimum pH in soil for the
treatment process.
A brief description of our new technologies are
summarized as follows:
I. Provide In Situ Dioxin Treatment Using
Peroxide Injection With ElectroKinetics
Fentons reagent is an effective technique for the
treatment of dioxins in soil. A demonstration of this
approach was completed at Elgin AFB, Florida. In
this test the dioxin concentration was reduced
significantly in the vicinity of the injection wells and
dropped off between the wells. Using a peroxide
injection method, the soil was effective to a depth of
four feet. A schematic of the layout used is shown
below.

Background - ElectroKinetics

ElectroKinetic soil processing technology is

particularly attractive because it is an in situ method
for soil decontamination and can be applied in soils
of low permeability where hydraulic pumping of
contaminants or reagents is inefficient. The method
involves no excavation or off-site transportation of
contaminated material, and should be very acceptable
to the public in adjacent communities as a

Electro-Petroleum, Inc.
996 Old Eagle School Rd., Wayne, PA 19087
Phone: 610-687-9070 Fax: 610-964-8570
E-mail J. Kenneth Wittle at kwittle@electropetroleum.com
Visit our website www.electropetroleum.com
II. Use ElectroKinetics With Nutrients To
Enhance Biotechnology AC POWER
SUPPLY
DC POWER
SUPPLY
PULSING
DEVICE

CONDITIONING +
SOLUTION TANK
Bioremediation has become widely accepted as the BUFFERING
SOLUTION
technology for the management of contaminated
aquifers. Bioremediation is most common at the CLOSED ANODE WELLS
WITH CONTROLLED
O2 PRESSURE
subsurface, where bacteria are plentiful and
contaminant concentrations are low. In field studies, CATHODES
DC OR PULSED DC
it has been shown that stimulation of bacteria by the ELECTRIC FIELD
CONTAMINATED
EFFLUENT
addition of electron donor species and/or nutrients
can yield significantly faster site closure times.
Delivery of these compounds to accelerate the natural
attenuation process is relatively easy in sandy soil
conditions where the permeability is high, but it AC ELECTRIC FIELD

represents a significant technical challenge in low

permeability clay soils where fractures and
preferential hydraulic pathways prevent even
distribution of the treatment solutions, thus
essentially stopping the process.

This patented electrokinetic based system will allow III. Enhance Fluid Flow In Soil Using
the delivery of electron donor and/or nutrient species ElectroKinetics
to an exact location within the subsurface.
Electrokinetic processing of soils and other porous The ElectroKinetic soil processing can operate both
media is an emerging, innovative technology which in saturated and in soil of very low moisture content
has its basis in the use of electrodes inserted into the (down to ca 7%). The process has a number of
soil or media being treated. A DC voltage is then attractive features including the ability to control the
applied between the electrodes. This induces movement of charged, anionic and cationic, as well
electrokinetic phenomena (i.e., electrophoresis, as noncharged species. It possesses sufficient
electroosmosis and electromigration) to occur in the flexibility that it could be successfully operated in
region of the soil impacted by the electrical field. As different soil textures. Compared to pump and treat
a result, fluids are moved through the soil capillary or irrigation systems which utilize hydraulic flow for
pores by electroosmosis, and charged (ionic) species reagents, contaminants or water transport through the
will be predominately transported by soil, the electrokinetic transport has the advantage
electromigration. The direction of movement is that the pore fluid flow induced by an electric field
defined by the placement of the electrodes and (electroosmotic flow) utilizes a higher percentage of
polarity of the voltage field. cross section of the porous medium than the
hydraulic flow, which is prone to channeling.
This technology has minimum environmental impact
It has little effect on the quality of air, water and soil The electroosmotic fluid flow control is exhibited
in the vicinity of the process. Furthermore, it particularly in small, capillary type pores, i.e., in
requires minimal chemical utilization and other clayey, fine grained soils, where a majority of the
consumables and can often be more cost effective per contaminants are concentrated. The accumulation of
unit volume of material processed than competing the contaminants in the layers of fine grained soil
methods. occurs due to the adsorption at soil particles of high
surface area. In contrast to the electroosmotic flow,
the hydraulic flow cannot be established in these tight
soil layers because the hydraulic flow drastically
decreases with the pore size.
1
The services described were developed by LYNNTECH Coatings, Ltd. of College Station, TX, and are being made available through an
agreement with LYNNTECH. LYNNTECH has developed extensive know how on the use of electrokinetics in soil remediation, and combined
the use of the technology with other technologies in new and innovative ways. These patented techniques, along with the reports and know how,
are part of the information being made available to EPI through the agreement. LYNNTECH and its affiliate will provide, on a commercial basis,
support to EPI in the field implementation of the electrokinetic technology.

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IV Transport Of Hydrogen Release
Compounds With ElectroKinetics In Low
Permeability Soils
Bioremediation is a true in situ technology that is
widely becoming the accepted method for the
management of contaminated aquifers. The bacteria
responsible for bioremediation exist in shallow to
deep subsurface regions and they degrade organic
compounds such as PCE (Perchloroethylene) and
TCE to obtain energy via an enzymatic pathway.
These enzymes mediate oxidation/reduction reactions
to use the transfer of electrons from electron donor
compounds present in the soil to release the energy
conserved in the target's chemical bonds. Therefore,
the electron status of the soil is critical to achieving
cost effective remediation. The dechlorination of
PCE, for example, occurs under anaerobic conditions,
and the microorganisms substitute both electrons and
hydrogen for chlorine atoms on the molecule. Thus,
for this reaction to occur, there needs to be an
electron donor species and hydrogen release
compound present at the site of contamination. There
are a variety of organic substrates that can serve as
electron donors as long as they can ferment to
hydrogen. Various organic acid derivatives have
been successfully demonstrated in the field to be
some of the best substrates for microbial
dechlorination. These hydrogen release compounds
or HRC's have been used at over 450 sites making
them the most widely used electron donor additive
used in the bioremediation process. Edible oils such
as olive oil, safflower oil and vegetable oil have also
been demonstrated as a unique, cost-effective method
to enhance in situ bioremediation.
Even though these compounds seem to herald a new
era in advanced bioremediation, there are several
drawbacks that prevent these technologies from being
fully accepted. A schematic showing the effect of
injecting these HRC's into a sandy type soil and a
clay type soil is shown. If the contaminant plume
exists in a region of sandy soil, the permeability is
high and the HRC can be evenly distributed
throughout the contaminated region. However, if the
contamination exists in a clay region where the
permeability is low, the flow of HRC will be blocked
and will simply move around the contaminated zone
or flow through fissures in the clay matrix preventing
the delivery of the HRC to the areas where it is
needed.
Field studies have been completed and/or are in progress at the followng locations: Elgin Air Force Base, Radford, Va; Wilson Corner for NS; C
Stanley, Pt. Mugu for Navy; Savannah River for DOE; Ft. Meade, Tinker Air Force Base, Long Horn. The tests described for these locations
operated exclusively by LYNNTECH.
Page 3
HRC released into the HRC released into the
contaminated site contaminated site
Clay soil
Sandy soil
HRC HRC
PCE plume PCE plume
Direction of flow Direction of flow
A schematic diagram outlining the difficulties of
using HRC's for bioremediation in soils with low
hydraulic permeability. For sandy type horizons,
permeability is high and the HRC's can be delivered
evenly throughout the site of contamination. For clay
type horizons the permeability of the contaminated
zone will be low and the flow of the HRC's will be
preferentially around the site of contamination or
through preferential pathways preventing even
distribution of the target compound.
V. Enhance Heavy Metals Removal
Through The Use Of ElectroKinetics
And Phytoremediation
Phytoremediation is a fairly new technology that uses
green plants to remove, contain, or render harmless
an environmental contaminant. A growing number
of plants are being discovered that are capable of
accumulating extremely high concentrations of
contaminants in their roots or aboveground shoots.
For example, metal hyperaccumulators can contain
up to 1,000 times larger metal concentrations in their
shoots than non-accumulator or crop species.
However, the efficiency of contaminant removal
depends on the extension of the plant roots in the soil
subsurface and the forms of the metals present in the
soil. The new electrokinetic phytoremediation
technology solves this problem by utilizing
electrokinetic effects induced in soil under an applied
electric field to mobilize contaminants within or into
the root zone allowing plants to accumulate them into
their biomass. The electric field is applied in soil by
placing the electrodes in the soil subsurface and the
electrokinetic phenomena, electroosmosis,
electromigration and electrophoresis induced in the
soil are utilized to control the transport of
contaminants, reagents and/or nutrients needed for
plant growth and hyperaccumulation of the
contaminants into the plants.
A Phase II pilot-scale test using soils taken from a
contaminated site chosen for this project (Ft. George
G. Meade Weapons Training Facility) were used in
this demonstration. This site had a long history of
high levels of lead contamination. In the bench-scale
test, it was first demonstrated that lead was
transported toward the anode when a chelating agent
(an amendment used to solubilize metals such as lead
in soil) was added to the contaminated soil.
Secondly, the bench-scale test showed that a
hyperaccumulator, Brassica juncea, was able to grow
in soil contaminated with high levels of lead (6000
ppm). The results of the bench-scale test were used
to design the pilot-scale test that was later performed
at the field site.
VI. Stabilize Soils And Build Barriers
Through The In Situ Chemical
Reactions
Electrokinetic technology can be used to stabilize or
harden soils. The in situ improvement of soil
strength has a number of potential applications for
the DOD including improving the bearing capacity
under building foundations, hardening soft soil for
covert construction operations, e.g., landing zones,
and strengthening marine clay adjacent to offshore
foundations. In practice, electrodes are strategically
put in place in the soil to be hardened and a voltage
applied. The process of soil hardening occurs by
chemically forming limestone (CaCO3) from
naturally occurring calcium salt deposits or from the
intentional introduction of calcium in the form of an
aqueous solution of a soluble salt. During the
Electro-Petroleum, Inc.
996 Old Eagle School Rd., Wayne, PA 19087
Phone: 610-687-9070 Fax: 610-964-8570
E-mail J. Kenneth Wittle at kwittle@electropetroleum.com
Visit our website www.electropetroleum.com
Page 4
process of EK, base is generated at the cathode,
where unless buffered, it begins migration toward the
anode. As it migrates, it dramatically raises the soil
pH causing the formation of insoluble Ca(OH)2 from
the reaction of calcium ions with the hydroxide ions.
Ca(OH)2 then reacts with ubiquitous CO2 from the
atmosphere or soil to form CaCO3, or limestone.
There are several possible reaction pathways that all
result in the ultimate formation of limestone and
hardening of the soil. The CaCO3 that forms falls out
of solution as a precipitate that fills the voids in soil
and acts as a binder to hold the soil grains together.
The same principal methodology can be used for
silicate barriers for those cases where Calcium
Carbonate may be degraded by an acidic
environment. This technology is currently being
demonstrated at a site in Texas.
VII. Concrete Demolition Using Low
Impact Electrokinetics
The demolition of hardened concrete structures
presents many engineering and environmental
challenges. A patented new environmentally benign
electrochemical based approach to the demolition of
hardened concrete structures that eliminates the need
to use explosives was developed. The innovation
behind this technology is the use of electro-osmotic
pulse technology to move an aqueous front through
the concrete where it reacts with the reinforcing rebar
causing it to expand and generating localized high
pressure points of hundreds of psi producing stress
fractures in the concrete structure. In addition to the
increased stress generated in the electrochemical
reaction, acid formed at the rebar anode can react
with the concrete weakening it further, thus causing
failure. This revolutionary method will have
significant engineering and environmental impact
allowing even the most inaccessible structures to be
demolished with the minimal use of equipment,
explosives, and labor. The benefits of implementing
this technology include lower operational costs,
improved worker safety, higher financial returns due
to increased volume of recyclable material and low
environmental impact. This technology will also
have particular impact in applications where
explosives or machinery cannot be used.
Field studies have been completed and/or are in progress at the followng locations: Elgin Air Force Base, Radford, Va; Wilson Corner for NS; C
Stanley, Pt. Mugu for Navy; Savannah River for DOE; Ft. Meade, Tinker Air Force Base, Long Horn. The tests described for these locations
operated exclusively by LYNNTECH.

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