EPA/540/MR-99/002

July 1999

United States

Environmental Protection

Agency

Demonstration Bulletin

Soil Rescue Remediation Solution

Star Organics, L.L.C.

Technology Description: Star Organics, L.L.C. (Star), has

developed a remediation solution that binds heavy metal

contaminants in soils and sludges. The solution, Soil Rescue,

consists of weak organic acids that occur naturally in trace

concentrations in the soil, phosphoryl esters, and other

organic components. The solution is typically surface sprayed

where contamination is shallow (to about 8 inches), or

pressure-injected where contamination is deeper. The

application of Soil Rescue can be repeated, if necessary, until

the contaminant metal concentrations are reduced to below

applicable cleanup standards.

According to Star Organics, Soil Rescue does not destroy or

remove toxic metals from the soil or sludge. Instead, the

metals are bound in coordinate covalent complexes having

large molecular structures and very low solubility. Soil Rescue

is essentially a mixture of weak organic acids and phosphoryl

esters that stabilize toxic metals by forming multiple ligands

with a central metal cation.

Waste Applicability: According to Star Organics, Soil

Rescue remediation solution is effective in reducing the

solubility of barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, and

zinc. In situ remediation of contaminated soil may be achieved

in permeable soils with shallow contamination by spraying

Soil Rescue onto the surface. Where poor permeability does

not permit fluid penetration, or where contamination is more

than 8 inches below the surface (up to 15 feet), Soil Rescue

may be applied using pressure-injection. For those situations

where surface spraying or pressure-injection do not apply,

Soil Rescue can be applied to excavated soil in a pug mill.

The soil can be treated on site and placed back in its original

location. For sites with high concentrations of leachable heavy

metals, the application process (surface spraying, pressure

injection, or pug mill) can be repeated until the concentrations

of metals in the media are reduced to levels below the

applicable cleanup standards.

Evaluation Approach: The Ohio Environmental Protection

Agency (Ohio EPA) and U. S. EPA, through a cooperative

agreement, evaluated the Soil Rescue remediation solution

at the Crooksville/Roseville Pottery Area of Concern (CRPAC)

in Roseville, Ohio. Soil Rescue was evaluated at CRPAC to

determine its ability to reduce the amount of leachable lead

in industrial and residential soils, as determined by the Toxicity

Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP). Soil Rescue was

concurrently evaluated for its ability to reduce the relative

percent of bioavailable lead as determined by a Physiologicalbased Extraction Test (PBET) in residential soils.

The evaluation consisted of treating 10 experimental units in

a residential area, and one experimental unit in an industrial

area. The experimental units in the residential area measured

5 feet long by 5 feet wide. The experimental unit at the

industrial site measured 6 feet long by 3 feet wide. After the

sod was removed from all of the experimental units, the

contaminated soil was mechanically mixed to a depth of 6

inches. Soil samples were collected before the treatment

process was applied. The experimental units were treated

with Soil Rescue by spraying the remediation solution onto

the surface, and then treating the soil to a depth of 2 feet by

injecting the solution using an injection wand. The units were

resampled after a minimum of 72 hours following the

application of Soil Rescue. The original sod cover was

returned to nine of the experimental units; one residential unit

was reseeded with fescue to determine whether plant uptake

of contaminants occurred following treatment. Lysimeters

were installed to a depth of 6 inches in one unit at the

residential site and in the unit at the industrial site. The water

collected in the lysimeters will be analyzed on a quarterly

basis for lead to aid in determining the long-term effectiveness

of the treatment.

Preliminary Results: Results of the pre- and post-treatment

TCLP lead analysis for the pretreated and post treated

industrial soils are shown in Table 1. Results of the TCLP lead

analysis for the residential soils are shown in Table 2. Key

findings, including complete analytical results and a cost

analysis, will be published in a Technology Capsule and an

Innovative Technology Evaluation Report.
BULK RATE

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

EPA

PERMIT No. G-35

United States

Environmental Protection Agency

Center for Environmental Research Information

Cincinnati, Ohio 45268

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use

$300

EPA/540/MR-99/002

For Further Information:

EPA SITE Program:

Ed Barth, Project Manager

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Research and Development

National Risk Management Research Laboratory

26 Martin Luther King Drive

Cincinnati, OH 45268

(513) 569-7669; FAX: (513) 569-7571

E-mail: barth.ed@epamail.epa.gov

Table 1. TCLP Lead Results in Industrial Soils Table 2. TCLP Lead Results in Residential Soils