American creosote site case study: Solidification/stabilization of dioxins, PCP, and creosote for $64 per cubic yard

Abstract

Solidification/Stabilization (S/S) is a low-cost remedial technology that has been used extensively for decades to treat soil contaminated with metals on Superfund sites. Increasingly, it is being used with success to remediate sites that contain higher molecular weight organic compounds. This case study describes the development of S/S formations and their application to remediate the American Creosote Superfund Site in Jackson, Tennessee. The U.S. EPA National Risk Management Research Laboratory conducted successful treatability tests of innovative solidification/stabilization (S/S) formulations to treat soils contaminated with dioxins, pentachlorophenol (PCP), and creosote from four wood preserving sites. Formulations developed during these studies were successful in reducing the mobility (leaching) of contaminants of concern by 95% to 99%. For one of these sites, the American Creosote Superfund site in Jackson, Tennessee, the U.S. EPA, in cooperation with the State of Tennessee, conducted a successful remediation of 45,000 cubic yards during 1998 and 1999. The costs to excavate, treat, replace, and cap soil contaminated with dioxin, PCP, and creosote averaged $64 per cubic yard (about $40 ton). Formulations, design, operations, performance specifications, and costs are presented in this paper.