Laboratory evaluation of a prospective remediation method for PCB-contaminated paint

Abstract

BackgroundPaint laden with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) often acts as a point source for environmental contamination. It is advantageous to address contaminated paint before the PCBs transport to surrounding media; however, current disposal methods of painted material introduce a variety of complications. Previous work demonstrates that PCBs can be broken down at ambient temperatures and pressures through a degradation process involving magnesium metal and acidified ethanol. This report is an extension of that work by describing the development of a delivery system for said reaction in preparation for a field test. Two treatment options including the Activated Metal Treatment System (AMTS) and the Non-Metal Treatment System (NMTS) remove and degrade PCBs from painted surfaces.FindingsAMTS decreased the Aroclor® concentration of a solution by more than 97% within 120 minutes and the Aroclor® concentration of industrial paint chips by up to 98% over three weeks. After removing up to 76% of PCBs on a painted surface after seven days, NMTS also removed trace amounts of PCBs in the paint’s concrete substrate. The evaporation rate of the solvent (ethanol) from the treatment system was reduced when the application area was increased. The solvent system’s ability to remove more than 90% of PCBs was maintained after losing 36% of its mass to solvent evaporation.ConclusionsThe delivery systems, AMTS and NMTS, are able to support the hydrodechlorination reaction necessary for PCB degradation and are therefore attractive options for further studies regarding the remediation of contaminated painted surfaces.

Biodegradation of oil-based paint by Bacillus species monocultures isolated from the paint warehouses

“…BTEX compounds are classified as major environmental pollutants on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) list of priority pollutants with high frequencies of occurrence (Farhadian et al 2008) which may be lethal and persistent in terrestrial and aquatic environments. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like ethylbenze, n-hexane, and xylene in the oil-based paints, on the other hand, are considered to be harmful to the environment, especially for the people who work with them on a regular basis (Saitta et al 2014). The exposure to VOCs has been related to organic solvent syndrome (Spurgeon 2006).…”

“…Therefore, biological removal (bioremediation) treatment technology has turned out to be a favorable alternative because it produces no toxic end products and is cost-effective (Mohsenzadeh et al 2012). Recently, Saitta et al (2014) reported a potential remediation method for PCBcontaminated paint under laboratory conditions based on non-metallic treatment system (NMTS). The methods like NMTS, in addition to bioremediation, could facilitate complete remediation of the oil-based-paint-contaminated ecosystems through cost-effective and environmentfriendly processes.…”

Case study of a non-destructive treatment method for the remediation of military structures containing polychlorinated biphenyl contaminated paint

“…Considering the PCB values in the treatment system continually increased as the concentration in the paint remained steady it is possible that PCBs from surrounding areas, including the concrete, were drawn into the treatment system. Spot concrete samples taken before and after the treatment indicated that the BTS and NMTS removed residual PCBs in the underlying material, a phenomenon seen in similar studies on remediating porous painted surfaces (Legron-Rodriguez, 2013;Saitta et al, 2014).…”

“…The treatment system was then removed and discarded, minimizing environmental exposure. The first formulation, and the foundation for the subsequent formulations, was the Non-Metal Treatment System (NMTS) comprised of solvent, a paint softener, and bulking agents (Saitta et al, 2014). The NMTS was formulated to extract PCBs from a painted surface and to act as a delivery system for metal reaction components.…”

Characterisation of used traction sand for utilization aspects in earth construction based on the requirements of Finnish environmental legislation

“…To determine the concentrations of naphthalene, cumulative content of PAH compounds (anthracene, acenaphthene, asenaphthylene, bentz(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(g,h,i)perylene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, dibenzo(a,h)anthracene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, fluorene, indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene, chrysene, naphthalene and pyrene), cumulative content of PCB compounds (congeners 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153 and 180) as well as the petroleum hydrocarbons (C 10 -C 40 ) in the traction sand, the in-house method based on standards SFS-ISO 18287 for PAHs (Paxal 2012), USEPA 3665A for PCBs (Saitta et al 2014) and SFS-EN ISO 16703 for petroleum hydrocarbons (C 10 -C 40 ) (Paxal 2012) were used.…”