Army Depot Research Articles

Biofiltration of Trichloroethylene-Contaminated Air: A Pilot Study

This project demonstrated the biofiltration of a trichloroethylene (TCE)-contaminated airstream generated by air stripping groundwater obtained from several wells located at the Anniston Army Depot, Anniston, AL. The effects of several critical process variables were investigated to evaluate technical and economic feasibility, define operating limits and preferred operating conditions, and develop design information for a full-scale biofilter system. Long-term operation of the demonstration biofilter system was conducted to evaluate the performance and reliability of the system under variable weather conditions. Propane was used as the primary substrate necessary to induce the production of a nonspecific oxygenase. Results indicated that the process scheme used to introduce propane into the biofiltration system had a significant impact on the observed TCE removal efficiency. TCE degradation rates were dependent on the inlet contaminant concentration as well as on the loading rate. No microbial inhibition was observed at inlet TCE concentrations as high as 87 parts per million on a volume basis.

Hybrid Bioreactors for Decontamination of Water and Air

AbstractThe Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has developed and patented innovative Hybrid Bioreactors that destroy water and air contaminants, with dramatic savings over existing technologies. Hybrid Bioreactors accomplish single‐step destruction of contaminants without generating contaminated off‐gases or other secondary waste streams. Contaminants destroyed include a wide variety of volatile organic compounds, chlorinated solvents, and other compounds. The bioreactors can be used in a variety of applications ranging from site restoration to industrial compliance. Treatment costs using Hybrid Bioreactors are generally less than one‐tenth of costs reported at Superfund sites. A gas stream application of the new technology was field‐demonstrated at Anniston Army Depot in a project funded by the U.S. Army Environmental Center. A 300‐cubic‐foot Hybrid Bioreactor is being demonstrated this year at TVA's Wetlands Complex in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Additional information is available at http://www.tva.gov/environment/envservices/alw_biofilter.htm. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.*

NEUTRALIZATION TOPS INCINERATION

UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE Edward C. (Pete) Aldridge has recommended that munitions containing mustard gas stored at the Pueblo Army Depot in Colorado be destroyed using water-based neutralization followed by biotreatment. Community and political pressure forced the rejection of the Army's preferred option: incineration. This is the first time since the Army began its chemical weapons destruction program in 1984 that neutralization has been selected as the destruction method for agent-containing munitions. Previously the Army chose to neutralize mustard gas and VX nerve gas stored, respectively in bulk containers in Maryland and Indiana. The Pueblo depot stores 2,611 tons of mustard gas in 780,000 munitions. Getting the relevant permits and constructing the neutralization facility will take several years. Craig Williams, director of the Chemical Weapons Working Group, estimates late 2005 as the earliest date weapons destruction can begin. In January, the Army said it could destroy the 1,621 tons of mustard...

Safe disposal of pyrotechnic ordnance using a plasma treatment system

Many types of ordnance are obsolete and no longer serve a useful purpose. The amount of unused pyrotechnic ordnance both nationally and internationally has grown to a level where disposal is a necessity. Due to the various types of constituents found in pyrotechnic ordnance, open burning and open detonation have been eliminated as a means of disposal. In addition, the disassembly and material reuse/ recycle is impractical. Therefore, alternative technologies must be utilized to help reduce the overall stockpile of pyrotechnic ordnance. A proven scientific method of treating many types of hazardous materials is plasma technology. The US Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, Armament Research Development and Engineering Center (TACOM-ARDEC) is currently evaluating the use of plasma technology for the disposal of pyrotechnic ordnance. The Plasma Ordnance Demilitarization System (PODS), a system specifically designed for treatment of ordnance, is in the final stages of integration testing. PODS will be installed and operated at the Western Area Demilitarization Facility at the Hawthorne Army Depot (HWAD), Hawthorne, NV. HWAD stores a significant amount of stockpiled ordnance classified for disposal. The PODS recently completed the Factory Integration Test (FIT) in preparation for shipment to HWAD. However, due to the lengthy permitting cycle actual trial burn and complete system shakedown are not scheduled until late 2001.

On-Site Detection of Explosives in Groundwater with a Fiber Optic Biosensor

Two primary explosives involved in groundwater contamination, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), were detected on-site at low ppb levels with a semiautomated fiber optic biosensor. Validation of the Analyte 2000 (manufactured by Research International Inc., Woodinville, WA) for TNT and RDX detection was performed at two Superfund sites, Umatilla Army Depot and Naval Surface Weapons Center Crane. Samples from monitoring wells were split for analysis using the fiber optic biosensor on-site and using U.S. EPA SW-846 Method 8330 (reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography) in an offsite laboratory. The Analyte 2000, a multifiber probe fluorimeter, was coupled to a fluidics unit for semiautomated operation. The fiber optic biosensor assay is based on a competitive fluorescent immunoassay performed on the silica core of a fiber probe. From these studies, the limit of detection was determined to be 5 μg/L for both TNT and RDX. In addition to the field samples...

Environmental Geology and Petroleum Geology: Problem Solving at the Lexington-Bluegrass Army Depot, Kentucky

Abstract Use of gas chromatography (GC) as a tool for characterizing source rocks and understanding hydrocarbon migration and emplacement is well established in petroleum geology. Petroleum geologists experienced in GC and source-rock characterization, and in other concepts such as structural and stratigraphic trapping, reservoir compartmentalization, emplacement theory, sequence stratigraphy, and diagenesis, can establish themselves as key team players in environmental investigations, especially those involving hydrocarbons. Environmental professionals lacking petroleum geology backgrounds can possibly bias field sampling and analysis of hydrocarbons because they may not consider natural hydrocarbon charging at sites. This problem was recognized recently at the Lexington-Bluegrass Army Depot in Kentucky, where the occurrence of hydrocarbons upgradient from underground storage tanks initially was not adequately deciphered. The nearly 3.25-km2 (800-acre) site, situated near the crest of the Cincinnati Arch, is located on the Middle to Late Ordovician Lexington Limestone. This shaly limestone displays epikarst features and contains two contaminated aquifers traditionally subdivided as the Tanglewood Member (upper aquifer) and the Grier Member (lower aquifer). Original remediation plans included pump and treat, based on the belief that hydrocarbons were anthropogenic. Expensive remedial efforts, however, are being avoided because it has been suggested that a significant portion of the site may be “contaminated” by natural sources. Site re-evaluation should consider (1) retention times required to detect natural hydrocarbons versus refined product; (2) regional structural position of the site; (3) sequence stratigraphic concepts; (4) chemical variations in formation waters versus compartmentalization of aquifers; and (5) expected characteristic GC signatures associated with source rocks in adjacent basins.

Stock level determination and sensitivity analysis in repair/rework operations

In this article, we present the results of a study examining the behavior of various inventory stocking methodologies in repair/rework operations. A major area of focus is on the sensitivity of key model parameters to stochastic replenishment lead times, product demand, and overhaul factors. A case study in a US Army depot provides validation for the effort. Simulation results indicate the current depot stocking methodologies are adequate in ideal conditions, but are less effective in more challenging and realistic scenarios. Results also indicate that some commonly used inventory models are quite robust to stochastic operating parameters in the unique/rework environment.

Integration of risk assessments and removal actions to expedite the cercla remedial response process at a dod brac facility

AbstractIn an era of reduced budgets and public demand for greater efficiency in government environmental response actions, reduction of overhead expenses is of prime importance. For large U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) facilities undergoing Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), such as the Southeastern (SE) Area at Letterkenny Army Depot (LEAD) National Priorities List (NPL) site, costs to comply or demonstrate compliance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) regulations can be enormous, because LEAD is an installation with a diverse array of mission activities, each associated with unique environmental issues. Because such costs can greatly impact resources available for current and future mission activities, LEAD is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and their contractors to develop a focused and strategic plan to effectively comply with CERCLA regulations, while maintaining current and projected operations. To illustrate how the CERCLA process was accelerated, a case study on SE Operable Unit 4, the LEAD SE Offpost Stormwater Sewers and Drainageway Sediments, is presented.

Field demonstration of a portable flow immunosensor

A portable biosensor known as the FAST 2000, developed by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and engineered by Research International, Inc., has been field tested for effectiveness in performing on-site analyses for two selected explosives, TNT and RDX. The biosensor uses antibody recognition of analyte molecules and subsequent fluorescence detection downstream to measure contaminant levels in groundwater and soil. In field trials at military bases identified by the U. S. EPA as priority Superfund cleanup sites, samples containing unknown concentrations of explosives were collected from groundwater monitoring wells at various locations and analyzed in the NRL sensor with no sample pretreatment or concentration. Test sites included the Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant, Chattanooga, TN and Umatilla Army Depot Activity, Umatilla, OR. Field samples were analyzed on-site by the portable FAST 2000, and splits were analyzed by an independent U. S. EPA-certified laboratory with the use of HPLC SW846 Method 8330. Results demonstrated that the FAST 2000 can detect explosives in environmental samples with accuracy and precision. Statistical analyses based on regression curves comparing the FAST 2000 and HPLC methods showed a high degree of correlation, with r2 values between 0.86 and 0.97. The assay system required small sample volumes (150 μl/test) and samples were analyzed in less than 3 min. The sensor was quantitative, with a method detection limit (MDL) of 10 μg/l. Beyond contaminated field samples, appropriate controls, blanks, and interferents were tested in the lab for certification and validation data requirements. Results were evaluated based on accuracy, precision, cost, time, and waste generation. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Field Analyt Chem Technol 2: 341–350, 1998

Field demonstration of a portable flow immunosensor

A portable biosensor known as the FAST 2000, developed by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and engineered by Research International, Inc., has been field tested for effectiveness in performing on-site analyses for two selected explosives, TNT and RDX. The biosensor uses antibody recognition of analyte molecules and subsequent fluorescence detection downstream to measure contaminant levels in groundwater and soil. In field trials at military bases identified by the U. S. EPA as priority Superfund cleanup sites, samples containing unknown concentrations of explosives were collected from groundwater monitoring wells at various locations and analyzed in the NRL sensor with no sample pretreatment or concentration. Test sites included the Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant, Chattanooga, TN and Umatilla Army Depot Activity, Umatilla, OR. Field samples were analyzed on-site by the portable FAST 2000, and splits were analyzed by an independent U. S. EPA-certified laboratory with the use of HPLC SW846 Method 8330. Results demonstrated that the FAST 2000 can detect explosives in environmental samples with accuracy and precision. Statistical analyses based on regression curves comparing the FAST 2000 and HPLC methods showed a high degree of correlation, with r2 values between 0.86 and 0.97. The assay system required small sample volumes (150 μl/test) and samples were analyzed in less than 3 min. The sensor was quantitative, with a method detection limit (MDL) of 10 μg/l. Beyond contaminated field samples, appropriate controls, blanks, and interferents were tested in the lab for certification and validation data requirements. Results were evaluated based on accuracy, precision, cost, time, and waste generation. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Field Analyt Chem Technol 2: 341–350, 1998

First production-level bioremediation of explosives-contaminated soil in the United States.

Umatilla Army Depot Activity (UMDA) near Hermiston, Oregon was the location of the first production-level bioremediation of explosives-contaminated soil in the U.S. Soil from munitions washout lagoons contained high concentrations of TNT (2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene) and RDX (Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5- triazine) as well as HMX (Octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine). In addition to these primary contaminants, laboratory tests were performed for Tetryl (Methyl-2,4,6-trinitrophenylnitramine), 4-Am-DNT (4-Amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene), 2-Am-DNT (2-Amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene), 2,4 DNT (2,4-Dinitrotoluene), 2,6 DNT (2,6-Dinitrotoluene), 1,3,5-TNB (1,3,5-Trinitrobenzene), 1,3,-DNB (1,3-Dinitrobenzene) and NB (Nitrobenzene) during the pilot-scale treatability tests. The clean-up goal established by the Record of Decision (ROD) was 30 mg/kg each for TNT and RDX. Degradation progress was monitored using immunoassay field screening Methods SW 846,4050 and 4051. Confirmational analysis consisted of EPA Method 8330. Treatment time on a 2,700 cubic yard batch (810 cubic yards of soil) was 10-12 days. A composting technique developed by the Army Environmental Center and implemented by Bioremediation Service, Inc., Portland, Oregon was used at the site. Agricultural waste products (or amendments including cow manure, chicken manure, potato waste, sawdust and alfalfa) were blended with the contaminated soil during treatment. Specialized soil turning equipment mixed the compost for optimum biological action and homogeneity. Homogeneity of the compost mix ensured rapid degradation of all contaminants. Physical and chemical properties were closely monitored to ensure that thermophilic bacteria played a dominant role in the degradation process. Nearly 5,000 cubic yards of soil have been successfully treated, and more than 70% of all analyses indicate non-detectable levels of both TNT and RDX. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates that over $2.6 million is being saved using bioremediation at Umatilla.

Chemical arms depot gets first U.S. inspection

It came as a bit of a surprise. Less than two months after the chemical weapons treaty went into effect, the U.S. was notified that its Richmond, Ky., chemical weapons storage site would be inspected by an international team from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). This Hague-based group is charged with monitoring and verifying compliance with the accord. We didn't expect it quite so soon, says a U.S. official familiar with the treaty. But, he continues, the U.S. was prepared, and the inspectors found tallied with what the U.S. had declared. The inspection began on June 29, five days after OPCW notified the U.S. that the weapons storage facility—the Blue Grass Chemical Activity on the Blue Grass Army Depot—had been selected for a routine inspection. The team of 12 English-speaking inspectors, headed by Hungarian Niklos Meglecz and including inspectors from Britain, Canada, and New Zealand, completed its work on July ...

Normalizing federal land transfers: A new tool for base reuse

AbstractThis article continues a dialogue on early transfers of title under authority of Section 334 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997, which was analyzed in the Spring 1997 issue of the Journal by Barry P. Steinberg and Jennifer L. Peper. Colonel Swenson represents the Redevelopment Agency (RDA) of Tooele City, Utah, which is currently negotiating an Economic Development Conveyance of 1700 acres from Tooele Army Depot, the first use of Section 334 in the United States. Section 334 amended Section 120 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), 42 U.S. Code §9620, which governs federal agency compliance with CERCLA and federal land transfers. The article places Section 334 in the context of Section 120 development, examines the benefits Section 334 is hoped to produce for the Tooele RDA, and responds to concerns that have been raised about the use of Section 334 by environmental regulatory agencies and the authors of the previous article.

The normalization of the abnormal: Early transfer of contaminated base closure property

AbstractThe continuing dialogue on title transfer of military base closure property is representative of the difficult public policy considerations associated with balancing economic and environmental concerns at closed or closing military installations. With the recent announcement by the secretary of defense that the Department of Defense (DOD) would seek two more rounds of base closure, the impediments to reuse of former military property that continue to plague local communities will be subjected to further scrutiny. Mr. Swenson examines the benefits of Section 334 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997 with respect to Tooele Army Depot and by implication, the application of those benefits to other base closure property. This analysis addresses that optimistic examination.

On-Site Detection of TNT with a Portable Fiber Optic Biosensor

A portable fiber optic biosensor was employed for on-site analysis of the explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT) in groundwater. Two military bases, Umatilla Army Depot and Naval Submarine Base Bangor, contain sites where the groundwater has been contaminated with TNT. Samples from monitoring wells at these sites were split and analyzed on-site using the fiber optic biosensor and in a laboratory by U.S. EPA SW-846 Method 8330 (reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography). The fiber optic biosensor is small (6.5 in. × 4.5 in. × 3.5 in., 2.5 lb), portable, and able to monitor four optical probes simultaneously. A competitive, fluorescent immunoassay was performed on the surface of the optical fiber probe. The fiber optic biosensor was able to detect 20 μg/L TNT in less than 16 min simultaneously on four probes.

Gas Chromatography -Its Not Just For Source Rocks Anymore: An Environmental Case Study At The Lexington-Bluegrass Army Depot Site, Fayette County, Kentucky : ABSTRACT

Gas Chromatography -Its Not Just For Source Rocks Anymore: An Environmental Case Study At The Lexington-Bluegrass Army Depot Site, Fayette County, Kentucky : ABSTRACT

Corpus Christi Army Depot ion implanter: capabilities and capacities for industrial applications

The features and initial results obtained from using a large-scale production, non-mass-analyzed ion implanter installed at the Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) in September 1994 will be discussed. The ISC-5000 ion implanter (Implant Sciences Corporation, Wakefield, MA) is the largest non-semiconductor implanter in the USA. This machine has been devoted to the treatment of cutting tools and other critical components of interest to the US Army. The ion implanter is a fully automated user-friendly machine. Its large-diameter (0.762 m) target platen allows the simultaneous processing of up to 500 tooling inserts of various shapes and sizes in one batch. The following types of cutting tool and material have been ion implanted with nitrogen: (1) both TiN coated and uncoated cutting tools of WC (Co) and high speed steel, which include cutting tools such as inserts, reamers, end mills and taps, and (2) Cr-plated specimens of copper-based material. The coated WC cutting tools were tested for the machining of high nickel alloys and show an average of 30% tool life improvement over non-ion-implanted TiN inserts. This performance improvement in conjunction with the large tool-volume-processing capacity make the CCAD machine economical to operate and have provided actual hardware demonstrations of the benefits of the ion implantation process.

Federal Employees, Torts, and the Westfall Act of 1988

The Federal Employees Liability Reform and Tort Compensation Act - better known as the Westfall Act - was rushed into law in 1988 to avoid what was expected to be a crisis in exposing federal workers to court suits. The law was intended to overturn the Supreme Court's January 1988 decision in Westfall v. Erwin, which greatly expanded the potential liability of legislative and judicial employees as well as employees of the executive branch. Once faced by such a threat - and perhaps especially because the decision threatened congressional workers - Congress acted promptly. By November, Congress had held hearings, the House and Senate had agreed on language of a new bill, and President Reagan had signed the bill into law. Any gridlock that existed on this matter between the executive and legislative branches simply evaporated when the Court handed down its ruling. The law's purpose is ...to protect federal employees from personal liability for common law torts committed within the scope of their employment, while providing persons injured by the common law torts of federal employees with an appropriate remedy against the United States (sec. 2[b]). The intention was to overturn the Westfall decision and thereby restore protections to executive-branch workers, extend those protections to legislative and judicial workers, and reinstitute the procedures by which persons who were harmed could bring suit against the government rather than against individual workers. Seldom is anything as easy as it seems. The law may have achieved its key purposes, but numerous other problems arose in the process. An Overview of Torts A tort is a civil wrong independent of contract, meaning that the harm did not stem from a breach of the contract. Constitutional torts involve harm stemming from violation of one's constitutional rights. Since the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (1971), federal employees can be held personally liable for violating someone's constitutional rights. In the Bivens case, narcotics officers made a warrantless search of a residence in the early morning. Cases commonly arise in which constitutional torts are alleged (see the Blohm; Krueger, Lutz; Rauccio; and Saul cases).(1) The Supreme Court ruled in 1994 that the Bivens remedy can only be used in suits against individuals and not in suits against the government (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation v. Meyer). A second type of tort and the one of concern in this article is the common law tort. These torts involve such behavior as negligence, defamation, harassment, and emotional distress. The third type is the federal statutory tort, in which a person's rights under a federal law are abridged (Anderson and Pellett, 1990). It is common for people to file suits that allege both constitutional and common law torts have been committed (Pelletier and Rallis). A single action or event, as in the case of assault, can be both a tort and a crime. The key mechanism for common law tort cases against the federal government is the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) of 1946. The federal government has partially waived its sovereign immunity to allow suits against itself. Under this law, suits are filed in district courts which apply state tort law to the federal government as though it was an individual in the state where the alleged event occurred. As will be seen below, exceptions contained in the FTCA bar several types of suits against the government. Westfall v. Erwin All of the furor in Congress to write the Westfall Act and much of the legal maneuvering since its passage stem from William Erwin receiving soda ash burns in his eyes and throat while working as a civilian warehouseman at an army depot in Alabama. He and his wife sued Rodney Westfall, Erwin's superior, and other workers at the depot for negligence in the handling and storage of this toxic substance. Erwin contended the bags of soda ash should never have been stored in the warehouse, that the soda ash had been allowed to spill from bags, and that he had not been warned of their presence in the warehouse. …

CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND TOXICOLOGICAL TESTING OF WINDROW COMPOSTS FROM EXPLOSIVES-CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS

Aerated and nonaerated windrow composts of explosives-contaminated sediments at the Umatilla Army Depot Activity (UMDA, Hermiston, OR) were characterized chemically and toxicologically as a function of composting time. The concentrations of explosives in organic solvent extracts of the composts and in the aqueous leachates of the composts, the bacterial mutagenicity of organic solvent extracts from the composts, and the toxicity of aqueous leachates from the composts to Ceriodaphnia dubia all declined rapidly (<15 d) with composting. The nonaerated windrow method of composting was slightly more efficient than was the aerated windrow method for reducing explosives concentrations in the composts (TNT, 99.9%; RDX, >99.7%; HMX, 98.5%) and in their leachates (>99.6%, >98.8%, and >97.5%, respectively). Extractable mutagenicity declined 99.7 and 97.9%, respectively, for strains TA-98 and TA-100 (without S-9 metabolic activation) in the nonaerated compost. The two types (aerated and nonaerated) of windrow composts had about the same level of efficiency in lowering leachable toxicity (by 92% and 87%, based on reductions in C. dubia survival and fecundity, respectively). Thus, windrow composting appeared to be at least as effective as static-pile and mechanically stirred composting evaluated previously. Windrow composting also appeared to be somewhat more effective for HMX transformation.

Chemical characterization and toxicological testing of windrow composts from explosives‐contaminated sediments

AbstractAerated and nonaerated windrow composts of explosives‐contaminated sediments at the Umatilla Army Depot Activity (UMDA, Hermiston, OR) were characterized chemically and toxicologically as a function of composting time. The concentrations of explosives in organic solvent extracts of the composts and in the aqueous leachates of the composts, the bacterial mutagenicity of organic solvent extracts from the composts, and the toxicity of aqueous leachates from the composts to Ceriodaphnia dubia all declined rapidly (&lt;15 d) with composting. The nonaerated windrow method of composting was slightly more efficient than was the aerated windrow method for reducing explosives concentrations in the composts (TNT, 99.9%; RDX, &gt;99.7%; HMX, 98.5%) and in their leachates (&gt;99.6%, &gt;98.8%, and &gt;97.5%, respectively). Extractable mutagenicity declined 99.7 and 97.9%, respectively, for strains TA‐98 and TA‐100 (without S‐9 metabolic activation) in the nonaerated compost. The two types (aerated and nonaerated) of windrow composts had about the same level of efficiency in lowering leachable toxicity (by 92% and 87%, based on reductions in C. dubia survival and fecundity, respectively). Thus, windrow composting appeared to be at least as effective as static‐pile and mechanically stirred composting evaluated previously. Windrow composting also appeared to be somewhat more effective for HMX transformation.