Amanda Wilson
Natural and human-made disasters like floods and accidents -chemical leaks, oil spills, or Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) contamination can threaten environmental safety, the health of nearby communities, and the infrastructure. Environmental remediation processes are used to remove contaminants and pollutants from a particular site, making it safer for people and not to hinder life around the site. Frac tanks are essential to the remediation process – they help contain pollutants and stop them from further causing environmental damage.
Remediation Site Assessment
Before starting the remediation process, the team needs to assess the impact of pollution on the local community in the area. This involves the following.
- Assessment of the site and damage that is possible for the environment on a larger scale. The way the site has been used and materials produced will determine:
- Assessment strategy.
- Type of sampling.
- Chemical analysis.
- Offsite environmental contamination via seepage of pollutants into the soil, groundwater, and air. For example, farmland or a car park that is not on the site being surveyed could also be damaged and may need remediation.
- Depending upon the site, appropriate technology, and type of remediation to be done.
- Potential hazards for the crew.
- Cost of the project.
Types of Environmental Remediation
Soil Remediation
Soil degradation happens mainly because of contaminants such as creosote, hydrocarbons, and heavy metals released due to improper waste disposal after industrial activity, and agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides. These contaminants are present on the surface and can affect humans, plants, and animals.
Soil remediation solutions can include air sparging, encapsulation, and removing and replacing the contaminated soil with clean soil. Certain bacteria can help rid of the problem naturally. Soil remediation is usually coupled with surface and groundwater remediation.
Surface Water Remediation
Surface water bodies such as lakes, rivers and wetlands have the natural ecosystem that cleans and nourishes them. The natural process maintains a balance between soil nutrients, animal and bird habitats, and surrounding temperature.
These water bodies can get contaminated if pollutants are released unchecked or un-processed. It can eventually block natural cleansing channels, and make the water dangerous to the environment at large. Stagnant water is also likely to be breeding grounds for harmful insects and bacteria. Surface water that isn’t fed by rivers recharges itself from groundwater that is fed by rainfall. People and animals use the same groundwater.
The pollutants accumulated by chemical spills, industrial activity, and farming can be removed directly or converted into harmless or inert compounds.
Groundwater Remediation
Groundwater is present below layers of water-bearing permeable rock, small fractures in the earth, and aquifers. The pollutants discharged by industrial activity, leaking landfills, and farm and urban run-offs can seep below the surface and contaminate the groundwater.
Groundwater contamination can severely harm animals, humans, and plants in the long run. Yet its remediation is more challenging than surface water remediation. Groundwater remediation solutions include physical, chemical, and biological treatment methods using in-situ and ex-situ technologies.
Sediment Remediation
The EPA defines sediments as a combination of water and soil, sand, and organic matter that ends up at the bottom of a water body. The contaminants comprise of carcinogens, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), and mercury, and can bio-accumulate in the food chain. For sediments, remediation methods are a combination of soil and water remediation techniques. The EPA generally selects one or more methods from the nine remedy selection criteria in the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan.
How Remediation Works & Methods
Based on the factors mentioned above, there are various techniques one can adopt for environmental remediation in industrial and brownfield sites.
- Monitored Natural Recovery and Bioremediation –It depends on natural processes such as burying natural sediments with polluted ones and let nature take its course for cleansing. Bioremediation (Microbial and Phytoremediation) involves treating contaminated media in water, soil, and subsurface material by introducing microorganisms that target the pollutants and neutralize them.
- In-situ –Involves cleaning the water at its current location without transferring it offsite. It is often less expensive and the preferred way.
- Ex-situ –It requires the groundwater to be moved offsite before decontamination is done. It is done if the team expects further damage to the environment if cleansing is done onsite. This method is more expensive than in-situ cleansing.
- Excavation and Dredging– Excavation involves partially dewatering the sediments by either diverting the surface water from natural channels or by constructing a dam around it. The contained sediments are then removed from the site. Dredging removes the contaminated sediment without diverting the water or constructing dams. Contaminated sediments are dewatered on land, and water is treated before discharge into the water body.
- Pump and Treat –This involves physically pumping the groundwater out and treating it using biological, chemical, or physical methods.
- Thermal desorption –This method uses heat to vaporize the volatile contaminants. It includes organic waste comprising of hydrocarbons from oil refining, coal tar waste, wood-treating waste, creosotes, paints, pesticides, etc.
- Solidification and Stabilization (S/S)– This method uses additives or processes to render the contaminants immobile and encapsulated in a matrix. This method is also known as immobilization or fixation.
- Nanoremediation –It involves the use of nano-particles such as zero-valent iron and titanium-dioxide often coupled with other metals to act as powerful waste neutralizing agents.
- Soil Vapor Extraction (SVE) –It uses vacuum to induce a controlled flow of air to remove volatile and semi-volatile contaminants from the soil.
As you would have noticed, storage tanks play a pivotal role in the environmental remediation methods mentioned above. Let’s see how they help.
Role of Frac Tanks in Environmental Remediation
Storage tanks for remediation can stop harmful contaminants from polluting the environment. You can contain the waste generated by industrial production, fracking operations, and other activities in leak-proof frac tanks that come in both open-top and closed-top designs.
You can have these environmental remediation tanks set up easily and can use them to isolate pollutants before they seep into the environment. These tanks are used for a range of environmental remedial applications.
Septic Pumping
Frac tanks serve as portable wastewater storage tanks. They can be placed next to the septic pumping facility where the wastewater can be directly pumped into them from the vacuum truck. An epoxy lined interior prevents the frac tanks from deteriorating due to toxic chemicals in the wastewater. Generally speaking, a frac tank with a capacity of 21,000 gallons can hold 4 to 7 vacuum truckloads of waste.
Temporary Chemical or Fuel Storage
Frac tanks can be used to store fuel or chemicals during cleaning operations in refineries temporarily. You can have them parked next to the crude oil tank or a fuel tank that needs cleaning and maintenance. The stored fuel can then easily be pumped back into the main tanks. The waste produced after cleaning the main tanks can be transported for further disposal.
Sludge Dewatering
Weir tanks are used for sludge dewatering. They are equipped with separate compartments, including a settling tank (called a sand trap). These tanks are ideal for transporting the sludge easily for filtration or disposal. Weir tanks are designed to separate the sludge from other liquids so that they can be recycled/ purified separately. Some weir tanks come with a ‘V’ shaped floor design that lets the stored liquid drain easily.
Water Remediation
Frac tanks offer affordable portable storage for water remediation projects. Contaminated water can be temporarily stored by directly pumping it into the frac tank. After the operation, the tanks can be transported for further filtration or disposal. Double-wall frac tanks offer further protection against leakage of dangerous chemicals and are ideal for containing contaminated liquids near sensitive and strictly regulated areas such as freshwater sources.
Stormwater Remediation
Surfaces like pavement and roofs prevent precipitation from naturally soaking into the ground. The water instead makes its way into drains, sewer systems and drainage ditches, carrying debris, chemicals, bacteria, eroded soil and other pollutants leading to floods, erosion and turbidity. Stormwater detention tanks can help prevent this from taking place and contaminated water from reaching streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands.
Environmental Cleanup
You can use frac tanks to contain dirty water during environmental cleanup. Open-top frac tanks facilitate easy access to check fluid levels and tank cleanup.
Conclusion
Frac tanks offer efficient and cost-effective ways to meet environmental remediation goals. Secure and leak-proof storage with versatile applications is necessary for projects ranging from groundwater remediation to hazardous waste disposal.
The remediation methods mentioned above are chosen by expert’s on-site conditions, based on initial research and land survey, thus providing comprehensive solutions to site cleansing needs.