Abstract
In 1992, GRACE Dearborn, Inc. was contracted by Environment Canada to conduct a field-scale demonstration of the DARAMEND bioremediation technology under the auspices of the Great Lakes Cleanup Fund's Contaminated Sediment Treatment Technology Program. The demonstration on approximately 150 tonnes of sediment dredged from Hamilton Harbour was completed by January 1994. Two distinct batches of sediment were treated. One batch of 90 tonnes of sediment, dredged directly from the harbour without any pretreatment, is the focus of this paper. Sediment was received in October 1992 and was treated through to December 1993. Treatment was conducted in an high-density polyethylene-lined treatment cell that was covered by a steel framed greenhouse. The treatment involved amending, tilling and closely controlling the sediment water content. In approximately 300 days of treatment, the level of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination was reduced from approximately 1,000 µg/g to 100 µg/g, corresponding to a destruction and removal efficiency of approximately 90%. Notably, the high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (containing 4 to 6 benzene rings) were effectively degraded to concentrations below the Ministry of the Environment and Energy’s Soil Placement Guideline for controlled fill (MOEE 1992). The trend in the data suggest that following addition of DARAMEND amendment and several months of active management, the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons would continue to biodegrade as a result of the DARAMEND amendment even without active management of the sediment.
