CCA News & Information Articles

Metals & Arsenic Removal Technology Signs Agreement 01-25-2005 Metals & Arsenic Removal Technology Signs Agreement With WAL S.A. To Provide Media To Remove Arsenic From Household Drinking Water, According To HydroFlo Inc. UO's molecular 'claws' trap arsenic atoms 11-16-2004 Discovery could eventually lead to improved treatments for arsenic poisoning EUGENE, Ore.--Chemists at the University of Oregon have hit upon a way to build a molecular "claw" that grabs onto arsenic and sequesters it. The discovery is published in the Nov. 5 issue of Angewandte Chemie International Edition, a premier journal in the field of chemistry TCLP underestimates leaching of arsenic from solid residuals under landfill conditions. 09-01-2004 Recent revision of the arsenic in drinking water standard will cause many utilities to implement removal technologies. Most of the affected utilities are expected to use adsorption onto solid media for arsenic removal. Using Composts to Reduce Lead and Arsenic Soil Contamination 04-27-2004 Using Composts to Reduce Lead and Arsenic Soil Contamination : EPA, in partnership with the University of Washington, Washington Department of Ecology, Wenatchee School District, Chelan-Douglas Health District, and Community, Trade and Economic Development, will test the effect of different compost mixtures to reduce lead and arsenic concentrations in contaminated soils. This pilot examines a potential cost-effective remedial option that would reduce real and perceived risks associated with the presence of lead and arsenic in soils. http://www.epa.gov/oswer/docs/iwg/2004_0226_biosolids_draft3.pdf BACKGROUND In many places across the county, agricultural production has shifted significantly in the last few years and portions of former agricultural sites are currently being used (or are under development pressure) for school and residential construction. The primary individuals at risk as a result of lead-arsenic contaminated soils are children. Former agricultural soils that are used for schools, day care, or residences are primary targets for remedial actions. Also, restraints to economic development due to soil contamination is a significant concern for local communities. The standard remedial practice for lead-arsenic contaminated soils is removal and replacement of surface soil. This is prohibitively expensive and would result in many sites going untreated. Effective, long-term solutions to area-wide soil contamination will require looking beyond traditional cleanup processes and government agency boundaries. PILOT APPROACH The University of Washington in partnership with U.S. EPA Region 10, the Washington Department of Ecology, the Wenatchee School District, the Chelan-Douglas Health District, and the Washington Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development will build on the results of earlier studies to evaluate compost mixtures, which may contain municipal biosolids, an alternative treatment to lead-arsenic contaminated soils. Previous studies have indicated that the inorganic fraction of biosolids composts can reduce the bioavailability of metals in contaminated soils. The pilot will establish a compost facility on property owned by the Wenatchee School District. Different compost mixtures would be produced at the facility and tested in field trials on local contaminated soils. Changes in lead and arsenic availability will be evaluated for the different compost mixtures. In addition to monitoring the efficacy of the different composts for reducing lead-arsenic availability, the cost associated with production of each material will be monitored. If the initial trial shows that some or all of the composts are successful in reducing lead and arsenic availability, the facility will continue to be used as a demonstration facility in cooperation with the Chelan-Douglas Health District, the Wenatchee School District, and State of Washington agencies. INNOVATION There is the potential to use a compost amendment as an innovative, less costly alternative treatment for area-wide lead-arsenic contaminated soils. If effective, composting will reduce the bioavailability of lead and arsenic in soils by binding with the inorganic contents of the compost. Compost amended soils are generally more fertile than non-amended soils and can support a plant cover that requires less maintenance. This reduces the potential for wind blown dust as well as the likelihood of exposure of children to bare soil. BENEFITS The use of compost to reduce the bioavailability of soil lead and arsenic would provide a cost-effective remedial option that can be used locally over time to reduce the threat of these historical contaminants. It will also reduce risks (real and perceived) associated with the presence of these contaminants in residential and orchard soils that may hinder economic development. Establishing a pilot composting facility will provide the Wenatchee School District with information on how to develop a permanent facility at which all the organic residuals generated by District schools can be recycled rather than landfilled as is currently done. Successful reduction of lead-arsenic bioavailability will help to generate market forces that promote the recycling of organic residuals. CONTACTS Kathleen S. Johnson, Region 10, 206-553-8513 For additional information, visit the EPA OSWER Innovations web site at: www.epa.gov/oswer/iwg. Ingenuity Solves Arsenic and CCA Wood Problem 07-09-2002 news item on a new method of removing metals from waste wood by Joe Pager Pure and Simple 07-08-2002 Two solar devices could economically bring clean water to all the world letter from Kazem Oskoui Hi Everybody, I have a letter from Kazem Oskoui with an interesting proposition for a cca treatment plant. You should contact him directly if you are interested. I have attached at the bottom of this email information on his method of removing metals For many years now government and industry and those of us who work on this issue have been concerned with the disposal problem. One of the reasons a ban was feared was that there was no way to deal with the massive cleanup that would have to take place. Here is a chance to test that out. Perhaps other governments will give this method a try as well. Take care everybody and please keep safe. Deborah Bacteria solution to groundwater arsenic - Bangladesh scientist saysthe bugs use arsenic for energy 08-14-2004 Scientists have identified a special group of bacteria responsible for breaking down arsenic in groundwater. This was disclosed by a Bangladeshi scientist conducting a study in the UK on the cause of naturally occurring arsenic release into groundwater table. ASARCO, EPA Discuss Clean Up 09-01-2004 ASARCO and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are meeting to talk clean up. But does this mean ASARCO is willing to foot the bill for removal of contaminated soil in west El Paso. Army using ferns to clean up contaminated soil 09-05-2004 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has turned to an unlikely ally in its attempt to rid a Washington neighborhood of contaminated soil -- ferns. That's right: The feathery plants that decorate countless gardens were discovered a few years ago to have an unusual talent, beyond just sitting there and looking pretty. A certain kind was found to soak up arsenic from soil like a horticultural sponge. Dynamic arsenic removal on a MnO(2)-loaded resin. 12-01-2004 Abstract: Previous batch studies on a polystyrene matrix loaded with manganese dioxide, synthesized from an anionic commercial resin in chloride form, have proven the efficiency of this sorbent in As(V) and As(III) removal. Removal of copper, chromium, and arsenic from CCA-treated wood onto chitin and chitosan. 02-01-2005 Abstract: Chitin and chitosan are naturally abundant biopolymers which are of interest to research concerning the sorption of metal ions since the amine and hydroxyl groups on their chemical structures act as chelation sites for metal ions. This study evaluates the removal of copper, chromium, and arsenic Calgon Carbon Introduces Arsenic Removal Systems 10-19-2004 PITTSBURGH, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Calgon Carbon Corporation (NYSE: CCC - News) announced the introduction of a family of adsorption systems that remove arsenic from drinking water. Extractability of metals and ecotoxicity of soils from two old wood impregnation sites in Finland 10-19-2004 Four metal-contaminated soil samples were classified using physical methods, extracted by selective extraction procedures and analyzed for chemical concentrations. Calgon Carbon Introduces Arsenic Removal Systems 10-19-2004 Calgon Carbon Corporation (NYSE: CCC - News) announced the introduction of a family of adsorption systems that remove arsenic from drinking water.