BLOOMINGDALE, IL, Jan. 5, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Adventus Americas Inc. (AAI), a rapidly growing innovator of proven remediation biotechnologies for soil, sediment and groundwater, has announced that its patented EHC-LTM product was selected by CH2M Hill as representing the best overall value and the most advanced in situ remedial solution available in the industry for a remediation project at the Virginia Air National Guard Base in Richmond, Va.
CH2M Hill was selected by the Air National Guard (ANG) as environmental consultants for the project to design and implement a remediation approach to effectively address aquifer plumes at the ANG base. The scope of the project included:
1. The need to appropriately address ground water constituents of interest (COI) in the extensive downgradient plume area,
2. Demonstrate no COI-impacted water leaves the site, and
3. Reduce the COI mass.
Following a period of study, AAI's accelerated bioremediation substrate EHC was chosen for purposes of enhanced reductive dechlorination.
"The winning design developed by CH2M Hill chose EHC over other potential substrates evaluated due to its incorporation of zero valent iron with the plant-based carbon source, as the electron donor," said Daniel Marion, Air National Guard program manager at CH2M Hill. "Adventus' unique combination of proprietary catalysts was able to convert the currently semi-aerobic aquifer condition to an anaerobic one rapidly and - more importantly - partially abiotically, thereby reducing the amount of time before effective dechlorination would occur."
Dr. Jim Mueller, AAI's president offered, "One of the distinguishing benefits of EHC is that it will remain active in the subsurface for an estimated one to two years. It is a non-hazardous substance that is easily handled, and this field application will cause minimal disturbance to operations on the active portion of the Air National Guard base."
Sites with complicated and challenging environmental legacies need to prove financial assurance for managing these liabilities for a period as high as 50 years.
"Economic analysis of these situations shows clearly that new technologies are essential to generate the cost savings required to manage these longer term environmental liabilities," Dr. Mueller added. "The Adventus Group of companies is leading the industry to develop and provide these technologies thereby facilitating their enduring success and solvency. The industry is starting to grasp the full importance of this dynamic, namely, that an estimated cost for 10 or 20 years operation, maintenance and monitoring (OM&M) is no longer sufficient. It's a very real problem given the new accounting rules," he said.
About the project
The project will be undertaken in the summer of 2005 when 22,000 gallons of EHC-L will be applied during two field events. Adventus will provide environmental biotechnology and design support to CH2M Hill, who will serve as the prime contractor responsible for remedial construction and EHC application.
EHC-L is an extremely fine and highly water soluble, fast-release formulation of EHC, which is specially designed for hydraulic injection to remove chlorinated solvents and related compounds from subsurface environments. It is composed of primarily controlled-release food-grade organic carbon and reduced metal (zero valent iron; ZVI). Its unique mode of action does not require the presence of specialty microorganisms. Another advantage of the product is that the pH will not be significantly affected as a result of the balance between acidity generation from biological activity and acidity consumption from oxidation of the reduced metal.
Physical Properties of Prepared Slurry:
-- Low viscosity
-- Relative density of 1.2 compared to water
-- Small particle sizes (less than 5 to 50 microns)
-- Easy to inject at common pressures and temperatures
-- Long lasting (excellent source of hydrogen)
-- Buffering capacity (will not acidify the groundwater)
About CH2M Hill
CH2M Hill (www.ch2m.com) is an employee-owned, global firm providing engineering, construction, operations, and related technical services to public and private clients in numerous industries. The firm's work is concentrated in the areas of water, energy, environment, transportation, communications, construction, and industrial facilities. Based in Denver, CH2M Hill has more than 14,400 employees working in 168 offices worldwide where respect for the environment is reflected in safe, innovative and environmentally sound work practices. The firm was named in 2003 as one of Fortune magazine's "100 Best Places to Work" and 5th among "Most Admired" Engineering and Construction companies.
About The Adventus Group
Adventus Americas Inc. (www.adventus.us) is an environmental services company that provides various remediation biotechnologies including those exclusive to our sister companies, Adventus Remediation Technologies Inc. (ART) and EnviroMetal Technologies Inc. (ETI). The groups' proprietary technologies are for treatment of soil and sediment, wastewater, and in situ groundwater treatment. ETI is the world leader in applications of permeable reactive barrier (PRB) technology for the remediation of contaminated groundwater, with experience at over 125 sites in United States, Canada, Europe, Japan and Australia. The Adventus network includes field offices in Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, and Ontario, Canada, including an expanding network of international licensees.
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