Aerobic Biodegradation of Oily Wastes A Field Guidance Book For Federal On-scene Coordinators Version 1.0, October 2003 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 South Central Response and Prevention Branch EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This field guidance document was produced specifically as an aid for Federal On-scene Coordinators (FOSC) in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6. It is intentionally limited in scope to best serve the requirements of the Region 6 Oil Program. Typically, Oil Program projects are completed quickly and efficiently and often do not require more than half a year to complete. Because of the nature of the Oil program, only aerobic land treatment was considered. Ongoing consultation with state and local officials during the land treatment process is assumed and essential to success. The level of detail provided in this field guide may be less than required for each project, but is sufficient to adequately diagnose technical problems should they occur. The writers of this field guide are aware that the users come from a variety of backgrounds and possess a wide range of field experience. In an attempt to develop a tool that may be used easily by both experienced and less-experienced users, minimum information is provided and an extensive bibliography section including web sites is included. Once the users have read and become familiar with the field guide, small shaded boxes or tables adjacent to a “pumpjack” icon help in locating key points throughout the document. This field guide consists of three parts complemented by appendices. The first part provides information to help evaluate the nature of the environment where land treatment is considered and a summary of the existing regulations and policies in Region 6. The second part provides an overview of the factors to be considered and studied when determining if landfarming is a viable option and also discusses key points in the process design. The last part focuses on operation issues and provides useful tools and information for efficient management of aerobic land treatments. A checklist was also developed to help the FOSC evaluate existing field conditions, evaluate feasibility of the technology, and monitor bioremediation progress. The items covered by the checklist are electronically linked to the appropriate section in the document. The principal author, Ben Banipal, is a registered Professional Engineer who currently serves EPA Region 6 in the Solid Waste Program. Ben has provided consultation to the Region 6 Oil Program on many occasions to ensure good land treatment of hydrocarbon-contaminated wastes. Ben produced this document in conjunction with many experienced FOSCs, with Team Leader Jim Mullins on temporary detail to the Region 6 Oil Program, and with the Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team (START-2) contractor. This document was submitted for peer-review to several experts (EPA Emergency Response Team (ERT), EPA Headquarters, and University of Tulsa) in the field of bioremediation. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 CHECKLIST FOR LANDFARMING ASSESSMENT 6 PART I 7 INTRODUCTION 7 GLOSSARY 10 SITE CHARACTERIZATION 12 Waste Classification 12 Chemical Analysis for Biodegradation Suitability 12 Soil Evaluation 14 Physical Properties 14 Chemical Properties 15 Biological Properties 16 CRUDE OIL CHEMISTRY 18 SITE-SPECIFIC CLEANUP STANDARD - APPLICABLE FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATIONS 20 Federal Regulations 20 State Regulations and Policies 21 State Regulations and Policies in the State of Texas 21 State Regulations and Policies in the State of Louisiana 22 State Regulations and Policies in the State of Oklahoma 22 State Regulations and Policies in the State of New Mexico 23 State Regulations and Policies in the State of Arkansas 23 PART II 24 REMEDY SELECTION 24 ECONOMIC/COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS 25 AEROBIC BIODEGRADATION REMEDY SCREENING/ SELECTION STUDIES 26 Biodegradation Treatment Design 27 In Situ Bioremediation Treatment 27 Ex Situ Bioremediation Treatment 28 Land Treatment Unit Site Evaluation and Selection 28 Land Treatment Unit Design and Construction 28 3 PART III 30 LAND TREATMENT UNIT OPERATION 30 LTU LOADING RATES 30 BIODEGRADATION TREATMENT TIME 30 CONDUCTING AN EFFECTIVE BIODEGRADATION - MONITORING LTU PARAMETERS 31 Soil Moisture Content 32 Soil Nutrients 33 Soil pH 34 Effect of Temperature 35 Oxygen Infiltration - Tilling 35 LABORATORY METHODS FOR LTU SOIL PARAMETERS TESTING 35 MONITORING HYDROCARBON BIODEGRADATION 36 Baseline Soil Sampling 36 Quality Assurance and Quality Control 36 Interim Soil Sampling 36 Cleanup Level Confirmation Soil Sampling 37 SITE RESTORATION 37 BIBLIOGRAPHY 38 TABLES TABLE 1-1 Suggested Chemical Analytical Methods for Contaminated Soil Characterization 13 TABLE 1-2 Soil Particle Size Classification 14 TABLE 1-3 Microbial analysis Methods 17 TABLE 1-4 Biodegradation Agents According To The NCP Product Schedule 18 TABLE 1-5 Crude Oil Distillation Fractions 19 TABLE 1-6 Risk assessment for evaluation of oil clean-up levels in New Mexico. 23 TABLE 1-7 Evaluation of clean-up action levels in New Mexico (mg/kg). 23 TABLE 2-1 Estimated cost of various treatment technologies (production only) 25 TABLE 3-1 Initial TPH Loading Rates 30 TABLE 3-2 Summary of Laboratory and Field Treatment Data (Sublette 2001) 31 TABLE 3-3. LTU Soil Characteristics for Effective Bioremediation Treatment 32 TABLE 3-4 Suggested Agricultural Inorganic Fertilizers 34 TABLE 3-5 Field methods to test LTU parameters. 37 TABLE C-1 Crude Oils Handled Near Cushing, Oklahoma 46 TABLE C-2 Typical Crude Oils Handled In Region 6 47 4 FIGURES FIGURE 1-1 Evaluation of landfarming as a remediation option for hydrocarbon-contaminated soils ......................................................................................................................................... 9 FIGURE 1-2 Schematic representation of the relationship of the various forms of soil moisture to plants (Sublette, 2001) ...................................................................................................... 15 FIGURE 2-1 Flow Diagram of Tiered Approach (EPA 540/2-91/013A) ................................... 26 FIGURE 2-2 Schematic of typical ex situ land treatment unit .................................................... 29 FIGURE 3-1 Half-life degradation of diesel fuel and various types of crude oils as practiced by Chevron Texaco Company. (McMillen et al, May 2002)..................................................... 30 FIGURE 3-2 Factors Requiring Assessment During Biodegradation of Oily Wastes ................ 32 APPENDICES APPENDIX A - TYPICAL BIODEGRADATION WORK PLAN..................................... 40 APPENDIX B - USEFUL CONVERSION FACTORS.................................................... 42 APPENDIX C - CRUDE OIL CHEMISTRY ................................................................... 44 APPENDIX D - LTU PARAMETER ANALYSIS METHODS......................................... 49 5 CHECKLIST FOR LANDFARMING ASSESSMENT Background information 9 Is the source of the release Yes No controlled? 9 Is the site stabilized? Yes No Establish contamination levels [TPH]= [Metals]= [Other]= Acceptable contamination levels (federal and/or state) 9 Are levels below Yes No acceptable state levels? 9 Are the following High Rocky Flood circumstances present? mineral land? plains? [TPH]>8% deposits? 9 What type of funding will CERCLA OPA Other be used? Evaluate soil properties 9 Soil classification Sand Clay 9 Slope angle Preferred angle <5% Measured % 9 Moisture Preferred concentration 50-70% Measured % 9 pH Preferred 6-8 units Measured Units 9 Salinity Preferred EC < 1dS/m Measured dS/m 9 CEC Preferred 5-25 meq/100 g soil Measured Meq/100 g 9 Metals content Above normal background Yes No 5 6 9 Bacterial count Preferred range 10 to 10 bacteria per gram of soil Measured 9 Need for more bugs? Yes See NCP No Evaluate oil properties 9 API gravity API < 20, bioremediation not Measured favored 9 Sulfur content Measured Perform remedy screening Optimal reduction: 20-60% in 3-6 weeks Reduction % Time of study weeks Perform remedy selection Potential problems? 9 Contamination depth <1 foot In-situ > 1 foot Ex-situ Design LTU Berms? Liner? Irrigation? Other LTU Temperature Temperature <8°C does not favor Measured °C bioremediation TPH Loading Applied as function of temperature % Evaluate LTU variables 9 Nutrient (C:N:P:K) Preferred 100:5:1:1 : : : 9 Temperature Preferred 75-95°F °F 9 Moisture Preferred 50-70% % 9 pH Preferred 6-8 units units Optimize LTU variables for duration of treatment Final TPH concentration Measured % 6 PART I INTRODUCTION The objective of this field guide is to provide guidance to Federal On-scene Coordinators (FOSC) in selecting and conducting land aerobic biodegradation of oil-contaminated wastes from inland oil spills, leaking/unplugged oil wells, abandoned oil refinery sites, pipeline ruptures, and/or tank failures. The United States consumes approximately 1.6 million barrels of oil every day, and roughly 45% of the United States’ crude oil production occurs in EPA Region 6 states (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas). Despite recent technology advances, accidental spills of crude oil and its refined products occur frequently during extraction, storage, transportation, distribution, and refining process. Besides these oil handling activities, the number of mature oil fields is growing in Region 6 and so are abandoned oil wells, which may be either unplugged or plugged improperly. Irrespective of its origin,