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Brock, Grant, Paul, Stefan

Biotech and Remediation ENVL 4446
Project 2: Physical and Chemical Remediation
The Business Potential of Gas Station Remediation

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Abstract
Leaking petroleum tanks at New Jersey gas stations have become detrimental
to environmental and public health. The contamination of groundwater and
subsurface soil is largely from defective steel reservoirs. As gasoline is leaked from
underground tanks, lead, SVOCs, and VOCs become problematic pollutants via
human consummation and vapor intrusion. Despite the potentials risk presented
from seeping tanks, a considerable remediation business exists. 3,378 gas stations
and at least 100 abounded sites are in the state, creating endless work
opportunities. Economic income is favorable, but satisfying our grandfathers last
wish was the main objective.
Our line of remedial work becomes possible with extensive knowledge of
physical and chemical remediation tactics. Start up costs and equipment expenses
are met through the large inheritance we received. Our company becomes attractive
to clients with the ability to complete cleanup projects from a large array of
methods. Reductions in VOCs and SVOCs come from our performed in-situ and exsitu processes that include chemical oxidation, pump and treat, soil washing, vapor
extraction, and monitored natural attenuation. When dealing with lead, our
company is a suitable choice with the ability to implement permeable reactive
barriers, excavate and removal soil, and perform a soil mixing process. With such an
extensive approach, our company would have the dominant advantage in the
remediation market.

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Table of Contents

The Threats That Leaking Storage Tanks Impose..4

Turning Problem New Jersey Gas Stations Into Business..4-5
Professional Opportunity for Abandoned Gas Stations..5
Lead Health/Environmental Impacts..6
Lead Soil Mixing..6-7
Lead Permeable Reactive Barrier..7
Lead Soil Removal and Excavation..7-8
SVOCs Health/Environmental Impacts..8-9
SVOCs- Chemical Oxidation..9
SVOCs- Pump and Treat..9-10
SVOCs- Soil Washing..10
VOCs Health and Environmental Impacts..10-11
VOCs Soil Vapor Extraction..12
VOCs Monitored Natural Attenuation.. 12-13
Conclusions..13
References..14-15

The Threats That Leaking Storage Tanks Impose

Throughout the United States, leaking petroleum tanks pose an enormous
threat to environmental and public health. As a significant issue in New Jersey, gas
stations with these leaking underground tanks will contaminate nearby homes and
drinking supplies. The implementation of faulty steel reservoirs often leads to
corrosion, which easily allows gasoline discharge. After reaching groundwater,
gasoline and mixed chemicals can easily travel offsite. The well-known MTBE
additive, and BTEX pollutants are common migrating compounds. During a spill, a
gas station faces primary complications from volatile organic compounds and semi
volatile organic compounds. Lead is another common contaminant found at gas
station sites. Site locations that used lead as an additive between 1920 and 1970 can
have increased concentrations in local sediment. Significant quantities of lead at
current and former gas stations can earn a hazardous site title (Lieberman and
Blecher, 2014).
Substantial health concerns are associated with VOCs that include Benzene,
Toluene, Ehtylbenzene, and Xylene. SVOCs, VOCs, and lead have a lasting influence
on neighborhoods that are exposed to leaking petroleum tanks. While direct
consummation of these contaminates is extremely damaging, vapor intrusion into
homes or workplaces can be lethal (Lieberman and Blecher, 2014).
Turning Problem New Jersey Gas Stations Into Business
With estimations of 482,000 leaking tanks nation wide, the economic
opportunities for a gas station remediation company are endless (Murphy & Crystal,

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n.d.). In New Jersey alone, the DEP performed cleanups of 5,036 underground
storage tanks in 2015. Tank overfills during the delivery of gas, and old leaking
tanks are problematic to groundwater and subsurface soil. With 3,378 gas stations
in the state, the never-ending cycle of seeping tanks forms a consistent workplace
for cleanup (NJ Spotlight, 2015). Honoring our grandfathers wishes is not only a
moral responsibility, but the remediation company creates steady income while
satisfying an individual environmental obligation.
Professional Opportunity for Abandoned Gas Stations
Considering the huge business potential surrounding the cleanup of leaking
tanks from active gas stations, New Jersey also has an ongoing problem with
abandon gas station sites. About 100 sites are currently listed for sale online, but
need remediating efforts. Clients will seek out our remediation company because
former gas station establishments are excellent and suitable for small businesses.
Existing in areas that already experience high traffic, wholesale businesses will
obtain their desired visibility upon our cleanup. Practical stores that will replace the
abandoned space could include sandwich delis, coffee shops, and other community
spaces. The conclusion of our remedial efforts can also help promote futuristic
trends. The most efficient way for repurposing gas stations is to turn them into
alternative fueling sites. Diving deeper into a green movement, the construction of a
bio diesel fueling station, recharging station for hydrogen fuel cars, or hookups for
electric cars are all plausible acts (Hughes, 2009).

Lead Health/Environmental Impacts

Lead in the environment is harmful to the public in a few ways whether it is
inhaled, ingested, or comes in contact with the skin. Lead affects every organ and
system in the body, but mainly the nervous system. Exposure to lead decreases the
performance of the nervous system, as well weakening joints such as fingers, wrists,
and ankles. Increased blood pressure is also prevalent, which can causes anemia,
brain damage, kidney damage, and can even result in death. In pregnant women,
lead can cause miscarriages, premature births, and lowers sperm production in
men. Infant children face long term negative affects to the brain. Developmental
issues in learning can digress from the deficiency of mental and physical growth.
Lead does not break down in the environment, so it has the ability to bond with
soils. These characteristics allow easy transfer and travels in groundwater supplies
(Lead ToxFAQS, 2007).
Lead - Soil Mixing
Soil mixing with phosphorus has proven to be an efficient alternative to
excavating the contaminated soils to an offsite disposal area. The phosphorus bonds
immobilize the lead source within the contaminated soil, inhibiting its ability to
leach into groundwater. The use of phosphates, when tested with the synthetic
precipitation leaching process, has been documented to have a 50-90% reduction in
heavy metal mobility in the soil (Stillwell, 2008). The other cost effective alternative
is mixing soils with cement to immobilize the contamination. However, this leaves
the land useable for only surface activities. This is why the soil mixing type depends

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on the site use after remediation processes (Evanko, 1997). Both examples of
remediation require excavation, drilling equipment, and additive supplies. With this
type of remediation, the purchase of excavation and drilling equipment can be used
in many fashions within the company.
Lead - Permeable Reactive Barrier
The use of zero-valent iron within a permeable reactive barrier is a passive
and cost effective way to treat groundwater lead contamination. After the Phase I/II
assessments have outlined the extent of the contamination plume movement, an
excavation crew digs trenches in the path of the groundwaters flow. Most
subsurface depths, up to 30 meters, can be done with a backhoe and normal
excavation equipment. Deeper contamination will require clamshell excavation
techniques, which would calls on the need of a subcontractor. When the
contaminated water passes through the barrier, the reaction between lead and the
zero valent iron promotes immobilization. The lead within the barrier allows for
later extraction when the barrier is removed from the site. This technique is best for
groundwater contamination containing heavy metals with a 90% efficiency rating of
contaminant removal in water (Grajales-Mesa, 2014). General estimations for
treatment wall costs range from $36-73 per cubic foot. A return on investment
occurs because the cost to remediate a cubic yard of groundwater comes in at $0.080.21 (FTFR).
Lead- Soil Removal and Excavation
The final alternative to lead remediation is the removal of the contaminated
soils using the excavation process. Once again, the acquisition of excavation

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machinery allows our company to perform these tasks within most sites. Depending
on the size, it also allows equipment to have many purposes no matter what
approach is desired by the client. The average costs for the excavation, retrieval, and
disposal of wastes is $270-460 per metric ton, which of course depends on the
contaminants being disposed (FTFR). Although this process calls for other laborintensive costs such as topsoil replenishment, the overall effectiveness is near
100%. The clean up and repurpose of this land can then be used in any desired way.
Even though excavation just moves the problem off site to a RCRA certified landfill,
the process is a major component to environmental cleanup. Soil removal and
excavation must be considered as part of the business model to ensure the
companys ability to compete in the marketplace. Used backhoes and dump trucks
for these techniques are listed around $150,000, while and commercial augers are
priced around $100,000.
SVOCs Health/Environmental Impacts
When released into the environment, SVOCs can prove to be harmful to both
the environment in which it was released, as well any human who inhales them
while breathing. The most common ways in which humans are exposed to SVOCs
are through inhalation from breathing, touching surfaces that are coated in SVOCs,
and ingesting SVOCs through tiny dust particles or even food which contain SVOCs.
It has even been recognized that some forms of SVOCs can be absorbed through
human skin, and in some cases the uptake of SVOCs through skin absorption can
exceed the intake through inhalation (SVOCs and Health, n.d.a). What makes SVOCs
commonly found indoors, is there ability to linger for extremely long periods of

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time. It is calculated that SVOCs can last for weeks, even years indoors as they coat
any surface they settle on (SVOCs and Health, n.d.a). If exposed to a sufficient
amount of SVOCs, humans can expect to see allergic reactions, retarded
reproductive development, and altered semen in males (SVOCs and Health, n.d.a).
SVOCs- Chemical Oxidation
When SVOCs settle in both soils and groundwater, Chemical Oxidation is a
very common remediation method used to remove them. Chemical oxidation is a
method that is used to transform either soil, or groundwater contaminants into less
harmful chemical species through the introduction of a chemical oxidant (ISCO,
n.d.a). The chemical oxidation remediation process is very attractive for
concentrated pollution areas because the cleanup can be done in as little as a few
weeks. This chemical remediation method is also popular in treating SVOCs because
it can be very cost effective. Chemical Oxidation does not require too much
specialized training for environmental engineers, does not require large or highly
specialized equipment, and also not require unusual power or utility needs (Siegrist,
2006).
SVOCs- Pump and Treat
Pump and treat is another popular remediation method, but is more focused
on the remediation of SVOCs in groundwater. After the discovery of being
contaminated, groundwater is extracted from the ground and pumped into a
treatment facility where the SVOCs can be removed from the water. After being
treated, pump and treat remediation allows water to be discharged back where it
was pumped from. A typical treatment facility consists of pumps, storage tanks,

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control systems, lagoons, buffer tanks, and other important tools (Pump and Treat,
n.d.a). This type of remediation is very effective, but can take some time. Its
recommended that this method is employed with a flexible timeline. It is also a
costly type of remediation and can commonly have a price range of anywhere from
$2-10 million. However, when the facility gets to work, it proves to be extremely
effective in eliminating SVOCs from the groundwater.
SVOCs- Soil Washing
Soil washing is another method that can be used to treat SVOCs. This process
consists of separating fine soil particles from a bulk load of soils. The soil travels
through an aqueous based system that can either dissolve or suspend the
contaminants in the washing solution. A particle size separation system has soils
concentrated by size, while pollutants are removed through gravity separation and
attrition scrubbing (Ex Situ Treatment Technologies, n.d.a). Like chemical oxidation,
soil washing can be a very cost effective method to use to remediate SVOCs from
soils. Soil washing works best with coarse-particle and sandy soils. Using this
method, one can spend as little as $53 per cubic yard (FRTR, n.d.a). This method is
also a relatively efficient method and is considered a short to medium term job.
VOCs Health and Environmental Impacts
VOC, or volatile organic compound, is a term used for certain carbon-based
molecules that are commonly released from sources of fuel. VOCs are commonly
found in sites involving gas stations and other sites that contain a leaking fuel
source. Some VOCs that are found in contaminated soils at gas stations include
Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylene, and MTBE. Benzene, Toluene,

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Ethylbenzene, and Xylene are extremely common and are often referred to as BTEX.
Other VOCs include Naphthalene, Trichloroethylene, Perchloroethylene,
Dichloroethylene, and Vinyl Chloride. These VOCs are not commonly found at gas
stations, but are chemicals are often used as industrial solvents.
VOCS are a threat, because these chemicals can often intrude into peoples
homes and places of business. Often, the gasses move through the soil then enter
structures through cracks in foundations. The extreme case is when a building
actually explodes because of an intrusion of methane from a nearby landfill, as
occurred in Pittsburgh PA in 1987 and Akron OH in 1984 (CDoPH). More often,
VOCs just cause problems with indoor air quality. Another reason why VOCs can be
such a problem is because they do not flow randomly. They travel through pressure
gradients. They can often transport themselves directly into a homes basement.
VOCs target basements in cold weather because of two forces: 1) the furnace
requires make up oxygen and so draws air from the basement; this creates a void or
area of lower pressure; the soil gas will be at higher pressure and thus drawn in via
cracks or breaches in the foundation; 2) stack effect: warm air in a building rises
towards the upper floors and eventually exits via the roof; this draws air up from
the basement and in turn, the basement finds its replacement air from the soil gas
(CDoPH). While the VOCs are present in a home, they can cause health problems
that can be as minor as headaches and throat irritation, and can be as serious as
liver and kidney damage. These health effects are often based on the levels of VOCs
found in your house.

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Soil Vapor Extraction

Soil Vapor Extraction, also know as SVE, is an in situ method of remediation
that has become very popular in removing VOCs from contaminated soils. In soil
vapor extraction, contaminates in the sediment are removed in vapor form. Soil
vapor is gas in the spaces between soil particles. Soil vapor contains air, evaporated
water, and in some places at McClellan, contaminants spilled onto the soil
(McCellan Environmental). The larger the particles, the bigger the gaps are inbetween particles. The larger gaps, usually allow for easier extraction of the soil
vapor. Unfortunately, this means that SVE is far less effective in silt and clay.
In SVE, there are some very important components needed to make the
system function correctly. Firstly, there are wells drilled into the contaminated soil.
There are both wells that function as monitoring stations, and wells that are used in
the remediation process. The wells that are used during the remediation are
connected in series with a vacuum. This vacuum sucks the contained vapor out of
the soil through the wells. Located in-between the vacuum and the wells are a series
of devices that alter the vapor. The most important device is the carbon absorption
system. This device filters out the contaminants out of the vapor. The vapor should
now be clean enough to be expelled back into the atmosphere.
Monitored Natural Attenuation
Although this method is technically not a physical or chemical remediation
tactic, monitored natural attenuation, is commonly used as a remedial effort in New
Jersey to remove VOCs from soil. This method involves drilling wells, just as in soil

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vapor extraction. These wells allow one to monitor the level of VOCs in the soil, and
see how the levels on contaminants changed over time. Essentially, this process is
doing nothing. While monitoring, you allow the containments to clean themselves
up through natural processes such as microbial activity. These in-situ processes
include biodegradation; dispersion; dilution; sorption; volatilization; radioactive
decay; and chemical or biological stabilization, transformation, or destruction of
contaminants (USGS).
Conclusion
The creation of our physical and chemical remediation company will target
clients that have leaking underground tanks at active New Jersey gas stations. With
the large sum of cash left from our late grandfather, we have the finical status to get
our business started. Substantial income will also come from clients who look to
cleanup and repurpose abounded gas station sites. Our business will be successful
because of our extensive capabilities and knowledge of dealing with contaminated
groundwater and soil. The physical and chemical remediation techniques described
above provide a full range of methods to act on any of the 3,000 plus stations.
Locked in on the primary lead, VOCs, and SVOC pollutants will give us headspace
and qualify our company in countless remedial efforts. Our expertise and
environmental background will provide steady framework in protecting human and
environmental conditions.

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References
Berkeley Lab. (n.d.). SVOCs and Health. Retrieved March 28, 2016, from
https://iaqscience.lbl.gov/voc-svocs
Connecticut Department of Public Health. Environmental Health Technical Brief
Vapor Intrusion of VOCs Evaluating the Risks to Buildings in Your Town. Retrieved
March 26th, 2016, from
http://www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/environmental_health/eoha/pdf/tech_brief_vapor
_intrusion.pdf
EUGRIS. (n.d.). General approach. Retrieved March 28, 2016, from
http://www.eugris.info/FurtherDescription.asp?Ca=2
Evanko, C. R., PhD, & Dzombak, D. A., PhD, PE. (1997, October). Remediation of
Metals-Contaminated Soils and Groundwater. Retrieved March 25, 2016, from
http://www.engr.uconn.edu/~baholmen/docs/ENVE290W/National Chromium
Files From Luke/Papers - Remediation Technologies/metals.pdf
FTFR: 4-40 Passive/Reactive Treatment Walls. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2016,
from https://frtr.gov/matrix2/section4/441.html, https://frtr.gov/matrix2/section4/4-29.html
FRTR. (n.d.). 4-19 Soil Washing. Retrieved March 28, 2016, from
https://frtr.gov/matrix2/section4/4-19.html
Grajales-Mesa, S. J., Malina, G., & Obiri-Nyarko, F. (2014, September). An overview of
permeable reactive barriers for in situ sustainable groundwater remediation.
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Media . Retrieved March 26, 2016, from
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Lead-ToxFAQS. (2007, August). Retrieved March 24, 2016, from
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McCellan Environmental. Soil Vapor Extraction. Retrieved March 26th, 2016, from
http://www.afcec.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-101210-066.pdf

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Murphy, M. C., & Crystal, K. R. (n.d.). Redeveloping Former Gas Stations. In Retail
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(2015, December 11). In NJ Spotlight . Retrieved March 26, 2016, from
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