PNA Remediation in a Railroad Switching Yard, Chicago, IL

PNA Remediation in a Railroad Switching Yard, Chicago, IL

A locomotive diesel fuel release occurred at an active railroad switchyard. Subsequent site investigation by an environmental consultant revealed elevated levels of benzo(a)pyrene ranging from 2.38 mg/kg to 8.25 mg/kg to a depth of 4 feet. Because of the high rail traffic density at this location, it was not feasible to close the rail spur for conventional remediation. The BIOX Process was chosen due to its ability to remediate the area without disrupting site activities.

Pretreatment sample results revealed benzo(a)pyrene concentrations ranging from 2.38 mg/kg to 8.25 mg/kg while the site-specific cleanup objective was 0.008 mg/kg. A single BIOX treatment event was conducted at the site without disrupting normal activities. Post treatment samples were collected 34 days after the treatment to evaluate the effectiveness of the remedial activities. The following table shows the pre and post treatment analytical results in mg/kg.

Location

Pre-treatment

Post treatment

Reduction

SP-1

4.46

<0.008

>99.%

SP-2

2.38

<0.008

>99.%

SP-3

8.25

<0.008

>99.%

SP-4

6.42

<0.008

>99.%