This research endeavor has the broad goal to develop placement methods for in-situ sediment remediation amendments. Amendments will not be developed, but research is focused upon developing the water jet design and parameters to deliver amendments that have been proven at a bench-scale. Waterjet design and parameters developed herein will specifically result in efficiency and precision in amendment placement that will allow for efficient use of newly developed amendments, which are expensive, and likely foster the research into other amendments that were though to be too expensive or undeliverable. Waterjets placement methods are already shown to have lower resuspension and harmful impact to the benthic community, and a specific objective is to further develop methods, designs and procedures to minimize these detriments even further. This project will provide direct input for scale-up and transition to field-scale testing and implementation, with design and planning stages starting within this project schedule. RATIONALE: Remediation of contaminated sediments is not currently efficient with limited options, and the basic science developing currently has a focus upon remedial amendments, yet no deliver and placement method exists for efficient engineering utilization of these amendments. Waterjet placement can be applied for a suite of amendments targeting nearly all common sediment contaminants, specifically PCBs, PAHs and redox sensitive metals. RESEARCH DESIGN: Research design is will focus on optimizing design and operational parameters at escalating scales to meet the goal listed above and will result in a field-ready technology within the project period. The assembled team has extensive experience in scale-up of basic science discovery to very large, field-scale projects and technology development and even utilization. This range of experiences and expertise is unique and will certainly help in making success in this research endeavor highly likely.

Public Health Relevance

TO PUBLIC HEALTH: Contaminated sediments are a substantial threat to human health, tainting the base layers of the food chain. Remediation expenditures are expected to reach well into the billions, yet only three options exist. None of which truly remediate the sediment. By increasing the efficiency and lowering the cost of remediating these sites, even more sites can be truly remediated.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
3R01ES016158-03S1
Application #
8105727
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZES1-SET-D (R1))
Program Officer
Henry, Heather F
Project Start
2008-04-01
Project End
2013-03-31
Budget Start
2010-07-06
Budget End
2013-03-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$48,575
Indirect Cost
Name
Missouri University of Science & Technol
Department
Engineering (All Types)
Type
Schools of Engineering
DUNS #
804883767
City
Rolla
State
MO
Country
United States
Zip Code
65409