Department of Defense Seeking Faster, Cheaper Groundwater Cleanups Using Hydrogen Release Compound HRCÂ®

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Department of Defense Seeking Faster, Cheaper Groundwater Cleanups Using

Hydrogen Release Compound HRCÂ®

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Department of Defense Seeking Faster, Cheaper Groundwater Cleanups Using

Hydrogen Release Compound HRCÂ®

CALIFORNIA, SAN CLEMENTE, Mar. 25 -/E-Wire/-- An innovative groundwater remediation product, Hydrogen Release Compound (HRCÂ®), developed by Regenesis of San Clemente, CA, is proving extremely efficient and cost-effective in degrading a broad range of soil contaminants at two major Department of Defense (DOD) sites in Colorado.

At the Army's former Pueblo Chemical Depot, a recent study by Earth Tech, Inc., verified HRC's performance and concluded that enhanced anaerobic bioremediation using HRC caused "reductions in the concentrations of all contaminants of concern at the site." The chemicals involved range from the more ubiquitous chlorinated solvents perchloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) to nitroaromatic explosives and perchlorate.

Meanwhile, a 60-day bench-scale study at the former Rocky Mountain Arsenal chemical weapons site in Adams County, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) program, showed significant reduction in concentrations of explosive contaminants and nitrates (by up to 98%-100%) within the initial test period of 105 days.

HRC is a passive, proprietary, in-situ bioremediation treatment that works by accelerating the natural attenuation of contaminants in the soil. When the viscous, honey-like compound is injected into the soil, contact with groundwater causes it to slowly release lactic acid. Naturally occurring microbes metabolize the lactic acid to produce hydrogen, which in turn is used by other microbes to break down anaerobically degradable compounds.

Total costs for HRC treatment are often one-half to one-third the cost of competing conventional technologies such as soil removal or pump-and-treat methods. HRC is also a quiet, unobtrusive remediation technology that can readily be used underneath foundations or in difficult-to-reach spaces such as between buildings or in small, confined areas.

The DOD is engaged in a massive nationwide cleanup program, with contamination from explosives and their derivatives an important focal point. One DOD study recently noted over 1,200 sites impacted with explosives, of which 87% had groundwater contamination.

Conventional cleanup technologies are often very costly and invasive and require the transport of large volumes of soil and/or water, as well as being excessively energy-, labor-, and material-intensive. The DOD has therefore been actively seeking innovative, preferably on-site and in-situ technologies, including bioremediation technologies, which hold the promise of better performance and increased economic benefits.

The Pueblo Chemical Depot (PCD) and Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMA) sites presented an ideal application opportunity for HRC and accelerated anaerobic dechlorination activities. The PCD site was used for more than three decades for large-scale munitions storage and reprocessing operations, which released chemicals such as trinitrotoluene (TNT) and hexahydroâ1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) and TNT breakdown products such as 2,4 DNT and 1,3,5 TNB into the aquifer.

The 27-square-mile RMA facility, now slated to become a National Wildlife Refuge, was established as a chemical weapons manufacturing site during World War II and was later used for the manufacture of nerve agents, pesticides, and herbicides. Liquid wastes were disposed of in numerous unlined waste-disposal basins and trenches.

Since conventional remediation methods such as pump-and-treat or excavation would have been prohibitively more expensive and time-consuming, preliminary bench-scale and pilot tests were performed at both sites before using HRC. These tests offered strong indications of whether or not HRC would be applicable at the sites either making or breaking the way for full-scale application. As noted, the PCD site has already completed a successful pilot-scale test and is awaiting further direction for full-scale implementation. RMA has completed a laboratory bench-scale test and is currently in the field pilot phase of the program.

HRC and another Regenesis product, ORCÂ® (Oxygen Release CompoundÂ®) were previously used at several other DOD facilities, including Cape Canaveral, Andrews AFB (Maryland), the Beaufort, S.C., Marine Corps Air Station, and the Naval Amphibious Base in Norfolk, VA. Results from several of these projects have been published in peer-reviewed journals. For additional information, contact Mr. Bryan Vigue at Regenesis ([REDACTED-PHONE]; [REDACTED-EMAIL]) or visit www.regenesis.com.

Mr. Bryan Vigue, Regenesis, ([REDACTED-PHONE]; [REDACTED-EMAIL])

http://visit www.regenesis.com.

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