New technology used to remediate hydrocarbon contaminated site
Injection and clean-up processes can proceed without the risk of structural problems.
Ivey-sol® works at the molecular
level, on site remediation using
designed phase transfer mixtures
that interact with the full range of
organic LNAPLs (light non-aqueous
phase liquids) and DNAPL (chlorinated
solvents). This is a patented technology
comprising mixtures of environmentally
safe constituents that encapsulate and
separate hydrocarbons from contaminated
soil, bedrock, groundwater and
solid wastes. In doing so, this allows for
the rapid recovery of the “dissolved”
contaminants for treatment.
The “selective” aspect means there
are several different mixture options and
two processes, enabling it to accurately
target everything from light hydrocarbons
like gasoline to heavy Bunker-C oil
among other contaminants.
Earlier this year, the company
secured its first remediation project in
Alberta. This patented technology is
being used to treat extensive soil and
groundwater contamination at an
active service station in Red Deer. As
there is a residential area nearby, the
environmental sensitivity is relatively
high. Past excavation efforts following
the original spill failed to clean-up soil
and groundwater contamination.
Ivey reported that greater than 85%
of the contamination was cleaned up
within the first six months, adding that
the whole site would be cleaned within
12 months, rather than the industry
average of five to seven years.
“Versatility is important,” says
founder and CEO George Ivey, whose
background in organic chemistry and
geological engineering led to his
breakthrough discovery between 1993
and 1998. “We can selectively encapsulate
different classes of organic compounds
within gasoline and oil and get
them dissolved in water. As gasoline
has more than 1,000 different components,
how can one mixture treat gas,
diesel or Bunker-C?”
By applying the various Ivey-sol
mixtures in situ monthly or bi-monthly
through injection wells or injection
galleries, the company’s case studies
show that 95 per cent of project goals
are achieved within 18 months, and
typically within 12. “We get the petrochemical
hydrocarbons dissolved,
making them more mobile – and then
we recover and remove them from the
soil and groundwater contaminate
plume,” said Mr. Ivey.
The ex situ method involves the
addition of contaminated soil and/or
solids into a rotation treatment unit
(RTU), which contains water and Ivey-sol.
The subject solids are treated to
compliance with applicable guidelines
on a continuous basis at a rate of 12-15
tons per hour, with contamination loads starting at > 20,000 ppm. Once
treated, soils can be removed and the
hydrocarbons recovered.
Ivey-sol mixtures are not significantly
affected by the presence of metals,
chlorinated compounds or salinity,
which is especially important in the
silty to salty soils of Alberta and
coastal B.C.
Peter Clark, president of Clark Oil
Co. Ltd. (Ultramar), credits this technology
with saving his East Coast
company tens of thousands of dollars
after using it to treat a fuel-oil spill.
Drinking water was contaminated and
Clark looked at a number of technologies.
“They wanted to put recovery
towers in and stripper systems costing
more than $100,000,” he says. Clark
was told remediation would take five
to seven years. But Ivey-sol did it in
less than 18 months saving some
$60,000, while meeting stringent environmental
standards.
Ivey-sol may allow industrial and
commercial clients to begin remediation
otherwise deemed unfeasible. For
instance, at sites where there is a risk
of damaging a building’s structure to
access underground contaminants
beneath foundations, the product can
be applied right through the basement
floor. The injection and clean-up
process can proceed without incurring
the structural liability faced by some
other technologies.
It can also be used on off-shore oil
spills, oil and gas and petrochemical
wastes, heavy metals, chlorinated solvents
among many others.
