Theme: 10. Characterization, Fate and Transport

Topic Area: 10h. HRSC Suites of Tools to Improve CSMs

Formatted Title:

Introducing Fugro OMS: On-site Mass Spectrometry-Based High Resolution Characterization Technology with Continuous Monitoring of Individual Contaminant Species

Background/Objectives:

Brownfield redevelopment is a critical requirement if we are to build homes and industrial sites without encroaching on greenland. No matter if former gas stations or refineries, chemical plants or dry-cleaning facilities, regulatory compliance or proceedings with remedial scenarios, choosing the right technology is the key to address the particular issue of each individual site.

Volatile contaminants such as fuels or solvents are detected by the membrane interface probe (MIP). Along with hydraulic profiling (HPT), it provides in only one push a high-resolution structuring of the underground to determine contamination, hydraulic, lithology and geotechnical parameters. Fugro coupled the standard system with a high end mass dpectrometer (MS) lab analyzer in order to develop a field equipment able to provide additionally the composition of the contaminant cocktail and the concentration of each individual compound.

Approach/Activities:

Besides the typical MIP signals, being able to identify individual compounds and deliver their concentrations in high vertical resolution proved to be a quick, very reliable and inexpensive pre-screening field method. This continuous and rapid survey allows high-end analysis of a site directly from the screening phase, no matter of hot spots, different source areas or degradation paths. A comparison to the results from conventional soil and groundwater sampling confirmed the results. The newly developed OMS technology extends spatially and expands the portfolio of MIP as quick and reliable screening technology. Besides its integral ability to cope with contamination no matter in groundwater, soil matrix, soil gas or present as separate phase, Fugro-OMS (MIP coupled with MS) expands the applicability limits towards characterization of individual contaminant species, associated with several orders of magnitude lower detection limits and continuous monitoring through real-time measurements (50 ms). Besides source areas and plume cores, a quick and reliable site survey may focus now on plume boundaries, difuse contamination, new compounds and on-site decisions with high impact on the overall economical efficiency.

Results/Lessons Learned:

The newly developed Fugro-OMS illustrates the usefulness of reliable initial screening methods for effective site investigation especially at large contaminated sites. The large-scale application of low-invasive initially screening can be valuable in directing and focusing the subsequent, more expensive methods of soil and groundwater sampling. Moreover, it delivers a significant added value for a success promising design of remediation strategies and shortens the overall decision chain with significant budget savings.

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Eugen Martac

Biography