2016 SMART Ottawa

February 4, 2016

SMART Remediation talks have focused on innovative technologies for remediating contaminated sites, approaches for site characterization, project case studies, regulatory and industry perspectives, and other related topics.

The 17th SMART Remediation conference was held in Ottawa on Thursday, February 4th, 2016. Details on the speakers and presentations are provided below.

Speakers

Marc McAree,
Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP

Experts in Environmental Litigation

Marc McAree

Marc assists clients to manage environmental risks and liabilities while limiting clients’ reputational risk. Marc brings significant environmental law expertise to: contaminated land/brownfields clean ups, environmental-aspects of transactions, environmental insurance, all manner of environmental compliance, environmental approval and order appeals, and defence of environmental prosecutions and environmental civil actions. Marc is recognized for his excellence in advocating for clients in environmental civil litigation at all levels of Ontario Courts, defence of clients against environmental regulatory prosecutions, and appearances before Ontario’s Environmental Review Tribunal and other administrative decision-makers on appeals and at hearings. Marc has particular experience prosecuting and defending contaminated land claims and nuisance impacts including odour, noise and light, and also in defending civil actions brought against environmental consultants. Marc is named in the 2021 Lexpert™®/American Lawyer Guide To The Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada. Marc was peer selected and named the Best Lawyers’® 2019 Environmental Lawyer of the Year (Toronto). He is peer selected annually for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in Canada© for environmental law. Marc is ranked “Most Frequently Recommended” by The Canadian Legal Lexpert® directory and ranked “AV® Preeminent™” by peers in Martindale-Hubbell. He is ranked as a Global Leader in Who’s Who Legal Environment and ranked as a National Leader in Who’s Who Legal Canada Environment. Marc is called to the bar in Ontario and British Columbia. He obtained a joint Bachelor of Laws/Masters in Environmental Studies at York University. Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP is named “Law Firm of the Year” for Environmental Law in the Best Lawyers in Canada, 2021 Edition!

Experts in Environmental Litigation

Environmental litigators find themselves embroiled in a world of disputes where science, engineering and environmental law intersect. These disputes lead to environmental claims. Environmental litigators retain experts to help decipher, untangle and inform at the intersection of environmental technical and legal issues. The speaker will set out an overview of what environmental litigators should consider when counting on environmental experts in litigation. The speaker will review what environmental litigators need to know about finding and retaining experts, and experts’ professional and legal duties. The speaker will also examine what opinions Canadian courts offer about the expected relationship between counsel and experts, and alternative approaches to tendering expert evidence. Finally, the speaker will canvass the law of admissibility of expert evidence including how far legal privilege extends over communications with experts and experts’ reports, and how best to establish and maintain an expert’s credibility before and at trial. This speech will explore many of the issues set out in the speaker’s article titled “Experts in Environmental Litigation” published in Canadian Journal of Administrative Law & Practice, 28 C.J.A.L.P. 111-258, June 2015.

Paul Martin,
Matrix Solutions Inc.

Modelling Uncertainty Analysis for Contaminant Risk Assessment

Paul Martin

Mr. Paul Martin is a Principal Hydrogeologist in Matrix Solutions with over 20 years of experience in the development and application of groundwater modelling tools. Having successfully completed several hundred groundwater modelling projects, many of them for regional scale aquifer systems, he has gained a wealth of experience in the practical application of data analysis and modelling tools. Recognizing the role of the model as a decision making tool, he approaches problems with a focus on technical excellence, incorporation of detailed hydrogeologic structure and comprehensive uncertainty quantification.

Modelling Uncertainty Analysis for Contaminant Risk Assessment

Models are often relied upon to extrapolate from our existing site knowledge and make predictions regarding potential future impacts associated with contaminant plumes, or the effectiveness of proposed remediation systems. Predictions made with models are always subject to uncertainty. That uncertainty stems from having incomplete conceptual understanding of the hydrogeology and groundwater flow system, incomplete characterization of the contaminant source and distribution in the subsurface, sparse observation data to calibrate the model, and incomplete measurements of hydrogeologic parameters. Recent developments in cloud computing and numerical analysis tools (e.g., FEFLOW + PEST) have made meaningful assessment of model prediction uncertainty more cost-effective and informative. With such advancements, detailed models that accurately depict our understanding of the hydrogeologic setting can be applied, as opposed to simplified analytical models. This presentation will illustrate how modelling tools are being applied to evaluate contaminant prediction uncertainty, data gap implications, and remediation alternatives for a contaminated site in Western Canada. The uncertainty analysis provides insights regarding the range of potential exposure levels, the most likely levels, and the timing of expected exposures. This process also highlights data gaps that control the predictions and the value of filling such data gaps with respect to reducing exposure level uncertainty.

Gary Simpson,
AST Environmental, Inc.

Overburden and Bedrock Remediation Using Activated Carbon Based Injectates

Gary Simpson

Mr. Simpson has been involved with insitu remediation for over 18 years. He is a Senior Manager for AST Environmental, Inc., responsible for leading their insitu remediation group. In this role he has overall responsibility for project assessments and designs, field implementation oversight, and post project data analysis. Gary is a graduate of the University of Kentucky holding BS in Chemical Engineering.

Overburden and Bedrock Remediation Using Activated Carbon Based Injectates

Activated carbon based injectates were utilized to remediate petroleum hydrocarbon and chlorinated solvent contamination at two subject sites. Each site underwent a thorough data gap analysis and subsequent Remedial Design Characterization (RDC) in order to develop a complete conceptual site model. The RDC programs included vertically dense soil and groundwater sampling and/or bedrock fracture characterization using custom inflatable straddle packers. Once the RDC data was incorporated into the final designs, the reagents were surgically applied to the impacted areas and vertical zones identified during the RDC taking into account the project objectives, total mass present (aqueous and sorbed), lithology, hydraulics, and reagent distribution. A brief overview of each site, the remedial strategy, and results will be discussed. Site #1. Former Manufacturing Facility – A large manufacturing facility used vapor degreasing in the 1970s and 1980s that resulted in chlorinated volatile organic compound contamination of limited soil and widespread groundwater areas. In the primary source areas, Trichloroethene (TCE) concentrations in groundwater exceeded 50 mg/L. BOS 100® (activated carbon impregnated with reactive iron) was applied over two injection rounds to achieve average contaminant reductions of 90% (vinyl chloride) to 98% (TCE). Site #2. Former Retail Petroleum Station – AST was contracted to remediate petroleum hydrocarbon impacted groundwater within shallow fractured bedrock and overburden soil at a former retail petroleum site. After a RDC was performed in both the unconsolidated and consolidated strata, BOS 200® (activated carbon blended with terminal electron acceptors, nutrients, and a bacterial blend) was injected over two field events to successfully achieve the site cleanup goals.

Nathalie Mantha,
Golder Associates Ltd.

Perfluorochemicals (PFCs): Lessons Learned and Challenges of Site Characterization and Site-Specific Risk Assessment

Nathalie Mantha

Nathalie Mantha is an environmental consultant and project manager with Golder Associates in Ottawa, Ontario. She received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Earth Sciences and a Master’s degree in Science (Environmental Geology). Her current focus is on site characterization for multiple contaminants of concern, including emerging contaminants such as PFCs and 1,4-dioxane as well as remedial options evaluations and remedial action plans. In participating in multiple environmental site assessments for private industry clients and different governmental levels, she gained experience in developing and refining conceptual site models for contaminated sites of varying complexity. She is also responsible for developing innovative collection and sampling techniques as well as quality control and assurance measures to improve data quality and reliability.

Perfluorochemicals (PFCs): Lessons Learned and Challenges of Site Characterization and Site-Specific Risk Assessment

Perfluorinated compounds are an emerging class of contaminants of concern which have been used globally for more than 50 years in water, oil and grease repellents in the paper, packaging, fabric and other related industries as well as in aqueous film-forming foams used in fire suppression. Concentrations of PFCs have been shown to bioaccumulate and biomagnify with increasing trophic levels of food chains and are typically highly persistent in the environment. Data gaps have been identified in available chemical and toxicological data for many individual PFCs and as such, additional lines of evidence in the form of reference site characterization, tissue residue analysis, additional ecological surveys, surface water and sediment toxicity testing are required to provide a better understanding of risks to human/ecological receptors. Given that PFCs are now almost ubiquitous in natural environments and many man-made substances, the development of rigorous drilling, sampling and monitoring procedures for preventing cross-contamination are essential to obtain reliable data, particularly at complex sites. The potential environmental concerns and health risks related to PFCs in the natural environment and gaps in available toxicity information drive PFC-related monitoring programs under the Government of Canada’s Chemicals Management Plan. These points highlight the importance of additional scientific assessment, characterization and monitoring work related to PFCs in the natural environment. This presentation will focus on environmental site assessments of PFCs in soil, groundwater, surface water and sediment. The presentation will also highlight key findings and challenges of quantitative human health and ecological risk assessments that are typically used to support the development of risk management and remediation strategies to address risks related to the presence of PFCs in various media.

Peter Farrell,
Green Municipal Fund (GMF)

The Green Municipal Fund: Accessing Funds and Remediation Case Studies

Peter Farrell

Peter Farrell, B. Eng., is a Knowledge Services Project Coordinator for the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). His role is to produce tools, resources and workshops to support municipalities in developing and implementing sustainability initiatives. His main areas of focus are brownfields and wastewater. Prior to working with the Knowledge Services unit, Peter worked as a GMF advisor working to identify, attract and develop the best environmental municipal projects to help Canadian municipalities and their partners address environmental concerns. He holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from McGill University.

The Green Municipal Fund: Accessing Funds and Remediation Case Studies

This presentation will briefly describe the Green Municipal Fund and how to access its funds, before presenting two innovative pilot projects that have been completed with the support from Green Municipal Fund: the waterfront Toronto soil recycling project and the Greenwich-Mohawk, Brantford site. The waterfront Toronto soil recycling pilot project aimed at determining if alternative remediation techniques could be implemented for the 800 hectares of Toronto Designated Waterfront Area (DWA). The estimated volume of contaminated soil was estimated to be 2.185 million m3. Two specific soil washing techniques were evaluated and compared to a traditional dig and dump to quantify the environmental, social and economic ramifications of each technique. This pilot project allowed to clearly identify the best way to move forward through the collection of the necessary data. The Greenwich-Mohawk project is located on a 20 hectares site in Brantford, ON. The site was contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC) and volatile organic compounds. An area of 9 hectares was found to contain soil and groundwater PHC concentration that exceeded the remedial target. Three separate pilot projects were undertaken to investigate which technique: the use steam enhanced remediation, air sparging/soil vapour extraction (as/sve), or biopile could be successfully implemented on the site to remediate the contamination. The Green Municipal Fund (GMF) provides knowledge and funding to address brownfield challenges across Canada. By getting involved at the early stages of a project, the GMF allows proponent to investigate innovative remediation approaches that can decrease its overall environmental impact as well as deliver clear and tangible social and economic benefits.

Jean Paré,
Chemco inc.

Chemical Oxidation Update: New Method for Activating Persulfate

Jean Paré

Jean Pare, P.Eng., has a degree in Chemical Engineering from Laval University. He has been involved for the last 22 years in the evaluation, development, design, and promotion of both conventional and innovative environmental technologies. As Vice President with Chemco Inc., his responsibilities include the remediation design, technico-economical analysis and technology supply for chemical oxidation and reduction, soil washing, and enhanced bio-remediation. Last year, he worked with over 400 sites applying his expertise to various types of organic and inorganic contaminants in soil and groundwater. He is also involved with many environmental organizations such as CLRA, CBN, ESAA, BCEIA and Reseau-Environnement where he is an active technical committee member and regular technical speaker.

Chemical Oxidation Update: New Method for Activating Persulfate

Activated Klozur® persulfate has been implemented for over 10 years to successfully remediate sites with a wide assortment of contaminants; and to activate persulfate. The ability to treat different contaminants has been attributed to the activation method and the formation of the sulfate, hydroxyl, and superoxide radicals. Conventional methods of activating persulfate include iron chelates, alkalinity, heat, and hydrogen peroxide. A new area of research is the use of organic substrates to activate pesulfate. This has the potential of being a low cost alternative with the benefits of ease of implementation, greater degree of control over the rate of activation, and the ability to produce both oxidative and reductive radicals. This presentation will discuss the existing methods of activating persulfate and introduce data collected on the science behind and key characteristics of the organic activation of persulfate. This presentation will also showcase a series of bench and pilot scale tests that have been conducted to assess this novel activation method. These tests were conducted in a series of batch reactors evaluating the rate of reaction with different contaminants of concern, persistence of persulfate, effect on geochemical parameters, and potential degradation pathways. Finally, the field implementation of this new organic activator will be discussed.

Dan Socci,
EthicalChem

Surfactant Enhanced Remediation Technologies & Case Studies

Dan Socci

Dan Socci is CEO of EthicalChem and responsible for all aspects of Company operations. EthicalChem develops and markets innovative, high-performing chemical products for the environmental and oil industries. The Company specializes in advanced solutions for destroying environmental contaminants, particularly heavy hydrocarbons such as creosote and MGP coal tar, and increasing oil well production. EthicalChem’s patented remediation technologies portfolio includes Surfactant-enhanced In Situ Chemical Oxidation (S-ISCO) and Surfactant Enhanced Product Recovery (SEPR) which are field proven products optimized through years of field implementations. Previously Dan held senior management positions at VeruTEK Technologies and Hewlett Packard.

Surfactant Enhanced Remediation Technologies & Case Studies

Non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) is the source of groundwater and soil contamination at many sites and is a challenging problem to address in the subsurface. In-Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO) and pump-and-treat approaches tend to experience technical challenges in the presence of NAPL. EthicalChem’s patented Surfactant Enhanced Product Recovery (SEPR) and Surfactant-enhanced In Situ Chemical oxidation (S-ISCO) are green-chemistry technologies developed to address the source of contamination and effectively treat sorbed, hydrophobic, and free phase contaminants. SEPR is implemented for bulk NAPL removal by extraction, where surfactants are injected with low doses of hydrogen peroxide. Surfactants work to desorb and emulsify the NAPL while peroxide decomposition produces oxygen gas bubbles which physically help facilitate desorption and movement of the NAPL toward extraction wells. S-ISCO implementation addresses residual NAPL and tightly sorbed contaminants. This presentation will present the patented technology, in addition to results of laboratory and field trials. Furthermore, a pilot test at a former wood treatment facility in Delaware will be presented. Site investigations revealed extensive DNAPL impacts throughout the subsurface, with only minimal product accumulation in monitoring wells – evidence of the limited mobility of the highly viscous creosote oil. A SEPR chemical formulation was customized and used at the Site. The case study of this pilot test will present an overview of the treatment chemicals and the innovative design of the injection and extraction system.

Bruce Tunnicliffe,
Vertex Environmental Inc.

Case Study: In-Situ Formaldehyde Spill Response

Bruce Tunnicliffe

Mr. Tunnicliffe is President of Vertex Environmental Inc., and is an Environmental Engineer with years of experience designing and implementing remediation of chlorinated solvents and petroleum hydrocarbons. Having worked on many hundreds of in-situ projects, Mr. Tunnicliffe has extensive experience on innovated assessment tools and in-situ remediation techniques. Mr. Tunnicliffe holds a Master’s degree from the University of Waterloo, has authored many publications, and has presented at numerous conferences.

Case Study: In-Situ Formaldehyde Spill Response

During 2012 a transport truck containing 35,000 L of heated waste formaldehyde crashed releasing its contents and diesel fuel to a steep embankment. The steaming waste cascaded to and along a secondary roadway before being released through a culvert and downwards to cottages and ultimately a lake which supplied drinking water to more than 75,000 people. The formaldehyde and/or petroleum hydrocarbon compounds (PHCs) impacted surface soils, surface water, sand and bedrock aquifers, and the local community, elected officials, and Ministry of the Environment all became actively involved. The purpose of this case study is to present how the spill response was completed with a focus on the careful efforts undertaken once the easily accessible soils were excavated and removed. With formaldehyde concentrations in the sand and bedrock aquifers at greater than 3,000,000 ug/L and 600,000 ug/L, respectively, and with a high degree of public interest, an evaluation of in-situ remedial methods was completed. Due to the unknown behaviour of high dissolved and adsorbed formaldehyde and PHC concentrations in the subsurface, a bench-scale study was completed to assess oxidation treatment effectiveness. Pilot-scale testing was also undertaken using various tracers to assess oxidant delivery, and full-scale in-situ work was completed to remediate the spill and downgradient locations. This talk will present all aspects of the in-situ spill response, including the bench, pilot, and the successful full-scale clean-up.