The use of natural systems to remediate groundwater: Department of energy experience at the Savannah river site

✍ Scribed by Gerald C. Blount; Cathleen C. Caldwell; Joao E. Cardoso-Neto; Karen R. Conner; G. T. Jannik; Charles E. Murphy Jr.; David C. Noffsinger; Jeff A. Ross

• Book ID: 102838897
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2003
• Weight: 904 KB
• Volume: 14
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1048-4078
• DOI: 10.1002/ffej.10062

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Natural remediation is moving toward the forefront as engineers clean groundwater at the Savannah River Site
(SRS), a major Department of Energy (DOE) installation near Aiken, South Carolina. This article
reviews two successful, innovative remediation methods currently being deployed: biosparging to treat chlorinated
solvents and phytoremediation to address tritium in groundwater. The biosparging system reintroduces oxygen into the
groundwater and injects nutrient compounds for in‐situ remediation. The system has greatly reduced the
concentrations of trichloroethylene (TCE) and vinyl chloride in wells downgradient from a sanitary
landfill (SLF). Phytoremediation is an emerging technology that promises effective and inexpensive cleanup
of certain hazardous wastes. Using natural processes, plants can break down, trap and hold, or transpire
contaminants. This article discusses the use of phytoremediation to reduce the discharge of tritium to an
on‐site stream at SRS. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Reprinted from Remediation Volume 12,
Number 3.