Lowell Kessel, P.G., R.E.A. System Application Specialist Good Earthkeeping Organization (GEO) Inc.

Mr. Lowell Kessel has over 8 years of soil and groundwater remediation experience from environmental consulting, is heavily involved in research and development for remediation technologies and regularly provides technical support with remediation performance optimization monitoring and implementation. Mr. Kessel is a Registered Professional Geologist and Registered Environmental Assessor and has completed a Bachelors and Masters degree in Geological Sciences focused on Hydrogeochemistry and a Masters in Business Administration.

Presentation Description
Off-Gas Treatment Carbon Footprint Calculator: Form and Function
A carbon footprint calculator is presented for use as a tool for assessing the appropriateness and selection of off-gas treatment technology selection for remediation at contaminated sites. The calculator is derived from published metrics and protocols and has implications for use in other remediation approaches with minor modification. The focus on off-gas treatment is important as it limits the analysis to a specific remedial approach for more in-depth analysis and looks at a technology that is generally considered an old and standard approach to in-situ remediation of soils at a contaminated site.

In recent years, concern over the environmental, social, and economic impacts of climate change has dominated international policy. Research has indicated that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are positively correlated with global warming. The quantification of GHG emissions is therefore a powerful sustainability indicator for assessing impacts of projects, including environmental remediation projects. However, sustainability has not been included as a significant factor to be considered in the feasibility and risk evaluation for remediation technologies and stems from the lack of metrics to quantify the impact. The authors propose a carbon footprint evaluation as an important metric for assessing the environmental sustainability of a “green” remediation technology that can be incorporated into the remediation selection criteria. This carbon footprint calculator is tested with two case studies focusing specifically on off-gas treatment selection for soil vapor extraction (SVE) remediation technology. 

Poster Presentations
Off-Gas treatment for Cash?
Implications for Revenue Generation during Contaminated Sediment Remediation at Fuel Sites
Remediation technologies are advancing such that opportunities to reuse or recycle waste and sell it as a commodity is becoming a viable and sought after alternative. Might this be considered sustainable or just good business sense? The employment of sustainability principles is a relatively new practice in this new era of energy and natural resource conservation but is commonly disregarded unless monetary benefits can be achieved through its use and application.  The authors present the financial models and performance characteristics of an innovative and proven technology for off-gas treatment remediation projects based on numerous case studies. The off-gas treatment technology otherwise known as C3-Technology recovers volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and condenses the vapors into non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) ready for shipping to a recycling facility or a fuel blending facility depending on the source and chemistry. Who is deciding where your waste goes and who is paying or getting paid for it?

Off-Gas Treatment via Refrigeration at Sites with “High Concentration” Recalcitrant Compounds and DNAPL: Case Studies from Two Sites
Remediation of recalcitrant compounds at sites with high concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and or non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL) can present significant technical and financial (long term) risk for stake holders. The authors present two case studies for which refrigerated condensation, otherwise known as C3-Technology, was utilized in place of thermal oxidation or granular activated carbon for startup of soil vapor extraction (SVE) remediation activities at these chlorinated solvent impacted sites. The implementation of the remediation approach resulted in reduced cost, more rapid source removal and, what became evident later, more sustainable methodology.

The case studies review the technical merits of the three off-gas treatment approaches (i.e. granular activated carbon, thermal oxidation, and C3-Technology) and include evaluation of the physicochemical site conditions, the fully loaded costs associated with operating the systems, and the environmental impacts of operating the systems, including a carbon footprint estimate for each.
The authors provide some key takeaways for consideration of off-gas treatment technologies from the perspective of feasibility, cost and sustainability.