traditional cleanup options. 

At the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility in

western Kentucky, a partnership of federal

agencies, private industry, and the

Commonwealth of Kentucky tested LasagnaTM

in dense, clayey soil. This innovative

technology was used to help eliminate source

contamination of TCE from the soils and to

prevent associated underlying groundwater

contamination. LasagnaTM represents an outstanding achievement by business and

government in joint pursuit of solutions to one of the nation’s most complex

cleanup problems.

“We see this as an innovative technology that can knock out contamination.

That’s why we’re excited about it,” says Carl Froede, Remedial Project Manager

for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 4. “Using LasagnaTM makes it

possible to remediate a site in two to four years as opposed to potentially

hundreds of years with conventional technologies.”

Photo courtesy of DOE.

A worker explains LasagnaTM to visitor
Without delay, DOE installed water lines to nearby

residences and businesses to provide an alternative

drinking water supply, and the Paducah plant continues

to provide drinking water to the affected local public.

Working with EPA and the Kentucky Department for

Sampling of activated carbon socks measures

removal of TCE from contaminated soil.

Environmental Protection (KDEP), DOE began a

comprehensive facility-wide search for the sources of TCE

contamination.

One area at the plant where TCE contamination is a

problem is Solid Waste Management Unit 91 (SWMU

91). In the mid 1960s and late 1970s, transportation

accidents had been simulated to test the structural

integrity of steel containers used to transport uranium

material. DOE tested tanks at SWMU 91, dropping

Photo courtesy of DOE.
g 

TCE extensively at other locations as a cleaning solvent for

mechanical parts, a typical industrial practice at that time.

This contamination resulted in the Paducah plant’s

placement on the National Priorities List in 1994.

Combine Partnerships With

Innovation 

The Paducah plant, faced with TCE-contaminated soil and

the need to protect the underlying groundwater aquifers,

exemplified the need for creative solutions. Cleanup

procedures needed to address both soil contamination as a

source of TCE and groundwater contamination resulting

from dissolved TCE. Removing TCE from the soil, as a first

step, would help alleviate contamination of groundwater by

eliminating its source. To clean the clayey soils, however,

DOE needed a valid technology that could remove the

TCE. One traditional option was to dig up contaminated

soil and burn away the TCE. Another was to haul the soil to

a remote location. DOE, EPA, and KDEP sought a more

innovative solution that would address sitewide

contamination in ways that reduced toxicity, mobility, and

contamination at their industrial sites. A few corporations

with sufficient resources initiated independent research on

new technologies for environmental cleanup. At the same

time, government regulators determined many cleanup

operations were charting new territory and existing

procedures did not always address the complex problems of

contaminated sites. The number of cleanup projects

nationwide provided an impetus to compare findings among

industry and government researchers to determine the least

expensive and most effective solutions. Both industry and

government stood to benefit from better, faster, and less

costly solutions. A 1992 initiative by the Monsanto

Company led the way. Three U.S. corporations—

Monsanto, Dupont, and General Electric—created a

research consortium and allied with DOE, KDEP, and EPA

to test LasagnaTM at the SWMU 91 site.

All in Good Measure

The LasagnaTM process targeted the challenge officials faced

at Paducah: removal of TCE from dense, clayey soil more

effectively and more economically than traditional

technologies. Determining remediation for a site requires

3
Initial tests began in 1995 at a 150-square-foot area at

SWMU 91. The testing during Phase I lasted for 120

days and yielded impressive results—approximately 98

percent of the total volume of TCE was removed from

the soil. On the basis of that success, year-long testing

was initiated to evaluate performance and costs at an

expanded site. Completed in July 1997, the expanded

field testing, Phase IIA, which occupied a 20-by-30-foot

area to a depth of 45 feet, showed 75 percent of total

volume of TCE removed from the soil.

A Community Is Served

With outstanding results from the field tests, decisionmakers at the Paducah plant ruled out other more

costly and time-consuming cleanup options for

SWMU 91. LasagnaTM’s effectiveness and comparatively

modest cost estimates established the technology as

workable and appropriate for remedial action at

SWMU 91. With approval from the Commonwealth

of Kentucky and the Site-Specific Advisory Board,

EPA and DOE signed a Record of Decision in August

and industry can work together effectively in finding

solutions for the remediation of environmental pollution.

The LasagnaTM demonstration also is an opportunity for

the public and private sectors to develop lasting

partnerships with an enormous potential for meeting

future environmental challenges.

Solid Waste Management Unit 91, where the LasagnaTM technology 

applied at full scale.

Photo courtesy of DOE.
system recycles and returns water that accumulates at the negative pole back to the positive pole

for acid-base neutralization. 

The cost of cleaning a cubic yard of soil in this way is estimated to be $80 to $190, considerably

less than alternatives that require removal of soil or water. Costs can be reduced by at least 

30 percent, for example, compared with deep soil mixing at $290 per cubic yard.

ground surface

contaminated

soil

Degradation

Zone

Degradation

Zone

Granular

Electrode

Applied Electrical Potential

electro-osmotic flow

+ _

Note: electro-osmotic flow is reversed upon switching electrical polarity.

Lasagna Technology TM
1EPA

United States 

Environmental Protection Agency

(5101)

Washington, DC 20460

Federal Cleanups That

Put Citizens First