Waterjet Amendment for Remediation of Contaminated Sediments using Absorptive and Dechlorinating Compounds in Compromised Waterways

Research currently being conducted at Missouri University of Science and Technology involves using a traditionally high pressure water jets in a new and innovative manner to inject adsorptive and dechlorinating amendments at varying depths in contaminated waterways. Previously published works identify Zero Valent Iron (ZVI) and Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC) as effective means of remediating contaminated sediments and groundwater. While the investigations of both amendments are within the breath of this project, this paper will focus primarily on the placement technologies and the analysis of PAC. A laboratory testing platform, novel amendment jetting, and nozzle designs were all developed to inject amendments into sediment beds. Analytical testing was conducted to examine the reliability in detecting amendment concentrations in sediments to evaluate distribution. The results obtained from this portion of testing, while not extensive, have yielded an effective delivery mechanism and reliable data acquisition system. Ultimately, the goal of this project is to remediate sites via targeted amendment delivery, while minimizing re-suspension, and minimizing damage to benthic biotia.