*** 9660415 Mayer Attention has only recently be given to the widespread problem of pesticide contaminants. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will test a novel method for removing pesticides from contaminated soils. Current methods for handling pesticide-contaminated soils include disposal in hazardous landfills, which because of volume can be costly, or land farming, which may impact future land use due to incompatible mixtures and/or high concentrations of pesticides. Western Environmental Services & Technology, Inc. (WEST) is proposing the use of "subcritical" water to extract pesticides from soil. Water can be changed from a highly polar to nonpolar solvent by simply increasing temperature under a few bars of pressure. While steam and supercritical water (T>374 C and P>221 bar) have been studied, hot liquid-phase water ("subcritical" water) has received very little attention as a solvent for organic compounds. By heating water under low pressure (to maintain a liquid state), solubilities of nonpolar organics can be dramatically increased. In preliminary laboratory studies, it has been demonstrated that subaritical water can be used as an analytical technique for extracting polar as well as nonpolar organics from a variety of solid matrices. WEST will test the concept of subcritical water extraction of pesticides on actual samples of contaminated soil. The proposed technology has the potential to provide a cost-effective and environmentally acceptable method for remediating contaminated soils. Numerous other applications of this technology may be possible, including polychlorinated biphenols (PCBs), chlorinated solvents, waste munitions, polyaromated halogens (PAHs), and petroleum spills. ***
