T—4042 Disposal Options For
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T—4042 DISPOSAL OPTIONS FOR CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS IN SAGINAW BAY, MICHIGAN: CONFINED DISPOSAL FACILITIES AND BASIC EXTRACTION SLUDGE TREATMENT by Maureen Y. Jordan ProQuest Number: 10783717 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10783717 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 T—4042 A thesis submitted to the Faculty and the Board of Trustees of the Colorado School of Mines in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (Mineral Resources Ecology). Golden, Colorado Signed: Approved: -OT-*/&+'<■Q Dr. E. A. Howard Thesis Advisor Golden, Colorado Date Environmental Sciences and Engineering Ecology Department ii T-4042 ABSTRACT Lake sediment is a significant source of water pollution in the Great Lakes. Contaminants present in the water column eventually accumulate in the sediments where they are adsorbed on the surfaces of the sediment grains. Resuspension of the sediment and remobilization of the contaminants can occur through wind and wave action caused by various types of natural and manmade disturbances. Disposal of dredged contaminated sediments in the Great Lakes is a major problem due to the enormous volume of material involved. In recent years, much of the dredged material has been placed in large confined disposal facilities (CDFs) along the lake shores, which are separated from the lake itself by huge dikes. CDFs occupy large areas of land or water (e.g. 30 hectares in Saginaw Bay), and there are several likely pathways by which contaminants may be lost from CDFs back to the environment. Few alternative techniques have been identified that are truly effective in treating wet sludges. One treatment technology that received very high rankings in recent studies is the Basic Extraction Sludge Treatment (B.E.S.T.). The treatment separates sludges into three fractions: oil, water, and solids, which can then be treated separately if necessary and/or recycled. iii T-4042 In this report, the B.E.S.T. process was evaluated for its treatment efficacy on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and compared with sediment disposal in CDFs at Saginaw Bay, Michigan. The potential risk of human exposure to toxic PCBs is lower with B.E.S.T. sediment treatment where the PCBs are extracted from the sediment and can then be destroyed, as compared with CDFs where sediment remains in a large, open pit for a decade or more. In terms of environmental impacts, the B.E.S.T. process is superior to CDF sediment disposal. PCBs could ultimately be removed from the environment with B.E.S.T., thereby preventing further bioaccumulation. While the evidence suggests that the B.E.S.T. process holds promise for the treatment of contaminated sediments in the Great Lakes, perhaps the biggest factor in determining whether or not it will receive the political support and funding necessary for implementation is its acceptability to the public. iv T-4042 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ................................................. iii LIST OF FIGURES..........................................viii LIST OF TABLES ........................................ ix GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS .................................... xi Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION............................. 1 1.1 Background.................................. 1 1.1.1 PCBs in the Great Lakes............. 2 1.1.2 Contaminated Sediment Problems ... 4 1.1.3 Potential Human Health Effects Associated with Great Lakes Sediment Pollution.... ............. 7 1.1.4 U.S. and Canadian Response ......... 9 1.1.5 Remediation of Contaminated Sediments.......................... 13 1.1.6 Saginaw River and Bay............... 18 1.1.7 The Basic Extraction Sludge Treatment Process.................. 24 1.2 Saginaw Bay Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) . 25 1.3 Basic Extraction Sludge Treatment (B.E.S.T.) for Contaminated Sediments .................. 31 1.3.1 Process Description................. 34 1.3.2 Limitations of B.E.S.T. and Preprocessing Requirements ........ 40 1.3.3 Posttreatment of Product Fractions . 42 1.3.4 Operation and Monitoring of the S y s t e m ............................ 44 1.3.5 Clean-Up Efficiency of the B.E.S.T. S y s t e m ............................ 47 1.4 Human Health Effects from PCB andTEA ........ 49 Chapter 2. PROBLEM STATEMENT, METHODS, AND PROCEDURES.............................. 62 v T-4042 2.1 Problem Statement ...................... 62 2.2 Methods and Procedures.................. 62 Chapter 3. PCB CONTAMINANT DATA IN THE SAGINAWBAY WATERSHED .............................. 67 Chapter 4. APPLICATION OF THE BASIC EXTRACTION SLUDGE TREATMENT TO SAGINAW BAY SEDIMENTS.............................. 85 4.1 Regulatory Requirements for Clean-Up of Contaminated Sediments.................. 85 4.2 Comparison of CDFs with B.E.S.T......... 88 4.3 Types of B.E.S.T. Units ................ 89 4.4 Plan for Implementation of B.E.S.T. System at Saginaw B a y .................. 89 Chapter 5. TOTAL COSTS AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF COSTS .................................. 94 Chapter 6. HUMAN EXPOSURE RISKS.................... 98 6.1 Potential for Human Exposure to PCBs in C D F s ................................ 98 6.2 Potential for Human Exposure to PCBs in the B.E.S.T. P r o c e s s ................ 99 6.3 Potential for Human Exposure with Recycling Oil Fraction as Fuel.............100 Chapter 7 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS........................... 102 7.1 CDF Impacts on Wildlife .............. 102 7.2 CDF Impacts on Physical Environment . 102 7.3 CDF Impacts on Vegetation............ 103 7.4 B.E.S.T. Impacts on Wildlife.......... 104 7.5 B.E.S.T. Impacts on Physical Environment. 104 7.6 B.E.S.T. Impacts on Vegetation........ 105 7.7 Other Environmental Requirements/Problems Associated with B.E.S.T............................... 105 Chapter 8 SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS........................... 107 8.1 Public Attitudes Toward Environmental Issues..................................... 107 8.2 Socioeconomic Effects and Public Acceptance of CDFs......................... 108 vi T-4042 8.3 Socioeconomic Effects and Public Acceptance of B.E.S.T. Process........ Ill 8.4 Socioeconomic Effects and Public Acceptance of Reuse of Oil Fraction as F u e l ...............................112 8.5 Conclusion............................ 113 Chapter 9 RISK ASSESSMENT............................ 114 9.1 Introduction to Risk Assessment...... 114 9.2 Site Assessment and Data Evaluation . 114 9.3 Human Exposure Assessment of CDFs .... 115 9.4 Human Exposure Assessment of B.E.S.T. P r o c e s s ...............................116 9.5 Exposure of Wildlife to PCBs.......... 118 9.6 Characterization of Human Health Risk . 119 9.7 Remediation Objectives................ 133 9.8 Comparison of Alternatives............ 133 Chapter 10 CONCLUSIONS ............................ 140 REFERENCES CITED ...................................... 143 ADDITIONAL REFERENCES..................................... 149 Appendix: CALCULATIONS FOR APPLICATION OF B.E.S.T. PROCESS TO SAGINAW BAY SEDIMENTS ............ 152 vii T-4042 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes Basin ......... 10 2 Locations of Confined Disposal Facilities, U.S. Great Lakes ...................................... 16 3 Location of Confined Disposal Facility, Saginaw Bay, M I .......................................... 17 4 Location of Saginaw Bay Watershed and Area of C o n c e r n .............. 19 5 Public Land in the Saginaw Bay Drainage Basin . 21 6 Saginaw Bay Recreation Sites....................... 22 7 Saginaw River Recreation Sites..................... 2 3 8 Pilot Scale B.E.S.T. Unit on Site ................. 33 9 Triethylamine (TEA) Solubility Curve............... 35 10 B.E.S.T. Process Flow Diagram ..................... 37 11 B.E.S.T. Separation Diagram ....................... 39 12 Overview of B.E.S.T. Process Scheme ............... 4 5 13 Identification of Sampling Locations............... 4 6 14 PCB Removal with Multiple TEA Extractions......... 48 15 1978-1983 Sediment Sampling Stations............... 72 16 Vertical PCB Distribution in Sediments............. 75 17 Vertical PCB Distribution in Sediments............. 76 18 Locations of Channel/Shelter I. and Little Charity I ........................................ 79 19 1988 Sediment Sampling Stations ................... 82 2 0 Site Plan, General Refining Superfund Site, Garden City, Georgia.............................. 90 viii T-4042 LIST OF TABLES Tables Page 1 Jurisdictions Responsible for Developing Remedial Action Plans for the 42 Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes Basin ................................ 11 2 Particle Size Distribution, Sediment Samples, Saginaw River, June 1988.......................... 28 3 PCB Concentrations in Raw Sludge and Product Fractions (General Refining Site) ................ 43 4 Residual TEA in Lab Simulation Product Fractions. 50 5 Air Emissions Results ............................. 51 6 U.S. EPA Pollution Criteria for Great Lakes Harbor Se diment s.......................................