Analytical Consultant Spring 2011
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Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) was contributed by dental offices. However, mercury released from amalgams can be easily managed and prevented. The separated mercury can then be recycled and reused. More information about mercury originating from dental offices can be found at: www.water.epa.gov/scitech/wastetech/guide/dental. braunintertec.com THE ANALYTICAL Consultant Vol. 7 Issue 1 A BRAUN INTERTEC PUBLICATION Spring 2011 By Richard Maw, Project Scientist [email protected] On Sept. 27, 2010, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Open wide: EPA proposing new rules to protect waterways from dental office mercury waste that it will propose new rules to protect waterways from mercury waste originating from dental facilities. The EPA is expected to propose a rule this year and finalize it in 2012. Dental amalgams used to fill cavities contain mercury. When old fillings are replaced and flushed into chairside drains, the amalgams find their way into the environment as they enter the wastewater stream. The EPA is asking dental facilities, until the rule is final, to voluntarily install amalgam separators. An amalgam separator may use filtration, centrifugation or ion exchange alone or in various combinations. This treatment is effective at removing at least 95 percent of the mercury from the wastewater stream. Currently 12 states require that dental offices install amalgam separators. As much as 3.7 tons of mercury are discharged from dental offices each year. A 2003 study funded by the American Dental Association found that 50 percent of the mercury entering What water-soluble sulfate in soil could mean for concrete By Steve Albrecht, Project Manager [email protected] The primary reason to test soil for water-soluble sulfate is to determine if structural problems could occur if concrete is placed on top of a problem soil. If the water-soluble sulfate in a soil sample exceeds 0.1 percent, it can indicate that expansive minerals may form under the concrete, such as ettringite and possibly thaumasite. This could cause the concrete to heave and buckle. It is important to measure water-soluble sulfate to determine how soil might be treated before concrete is placed. Some people use lime stabilizing agents. Cementitious material used in the concrete mix can also be modified to resist the effects of high levels of soluble sulfate. See SOIL AND CONCRETE - Continued on page 2
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As the official publication of the Braun Intertec Analytical Laboratory, The Analytical Consultant publishes information, sampling tips and scientific articles designed to help laboratory clients improve their projects.
Transcript of Analytical Consultant Spring 2011
Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) was contributed by dental offices. However, mercury released from amalgams can be easily managed and prevented. The separated mercury can then be recycled and reused.
More information about mercury originating from dental offices can be found at: www.water.epa.gov/scitech/wastetech/guide/dental.
braunintertec.com
THE ANALYTICAL
ConsultantVol. 7 Issue 1 A BRAUN INTERTEC PUBLICATION Spring 2011
By Richard Maw, Project [email protected]
On Sept. 27, 2010, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced
Open wide: EPA proposing new rules to protect waterways from dental office mercury waste
that it will propose new rules to protect waterways from mercury waste originating from dental facilities. The EPA is expected to propose a rule this year and finalize it in 2012.
Dental amalgams used to fill cavities contain mercury. When old fillings are replaced and flushed into chairside drains, the amalgams find their way into the environment as they enter the wastewater stream. The EPA is asking dental facilities, until the rule is final, to voluntarily install amalgam separators. An amalgam separator may use filtration, centrifugation or ion exchange alone or in various combinations. This treatment is effective at removing at least 95 percent of the mercury from the wastewater stream.
Currently 12 states require that dental offices install amalgam separators. As much as 3.7 tons of mercury are discharged from dental offices each year. A 2003 study funded by the American Dental Association found that 50 percent of the mercury entering
What water-soluble sulfate in soil could mean for concreteBy Steve Albrecht, Project [email protected]
The primary reason to test soil for water-soluble sulfate is to determine if structural problems could occur if concrete is placed on top of a problem soil. If the water-soluble sulfate in a soil sample exceeds 0.1 percent, it can indicate that expansive minerals may form under the concrete, such as ettringite and possibly thaumasite.
This could cause the concrete to heave and buckle. It is important to measure water-soluble sulfate to determine how soil might be treated before concrete is placed. Some people use lime stabilizing agents. Cementitious material used in the concrete mix can also be modified to resist the effects of high levels of soluble sulfate.
See SOIL AND CONCRETE - Continued on page 2
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Lab Manager’s Corner: Iowa Certifications
Tom Wagner
During the past year Braun Intertec expanded its Analytical Laboratory capabilities into the Iowa market. This expansion supports our Cedar Rapids, Iowa location. A few months ago we received word from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources that we have been approved to provide method OA-1 and OA-2 services, which are often used during petroleum release and underground storage tank projects.
In addition to working on our Iowa certifications, we are happy to announce that our recent lab audits, conducted by several agencies, went very well. These agencies included the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the Minnesota Department of
Health, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation program and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The auditors commented that the Braun Intertec Analytical Laboratory has experienced people, wonderful technical capabilities and well-developed operating and quality processes.
In addition to regulatory audits, we also conducted a number of external client audits to gain a better understanding of how we are providing service and value. To those of you who participated, we appreciate your feedback. In the coming year, we invite you, or any of your auditing agencies, to visit our facilities, during either a tour or an audit. To schedule a tour of our laboratory, please contact me at 952.995.2650 or Craig Foxhoven, our quality assurance director, at 952.995.2630. - Tom Wagner
There are four recognized methods for analyzing water-soluble sulfate in soil, which include: • United States Bureau of Reclamation, “Method of Test for Determining the Quantity of Water-Soluble Sulfate in Solid (Soil and Rock) and Water Samples.” • Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Test Method A23.2-3B, “Determination of Total or Water-Soluble Sulfate Ion Content of Soil.” • California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Test Method 417, “Testing Soils and Waters for Sulfate Content.” • ASTM International (ASTM) C1580, “Test Method for Water-Soluble Sulfate in Soil.”
The ASTM method is a consensus method that is commonly used for building specifications and is the method performed at Braun Intertec. The test is designed to create a water extraction of the soil to determine how much sulfate is available from the soil. To perform the analysis, 100 grams of soil sample are dried and crushed to pass through a 600 micron sieve. The sample is split into four portions of varying weights. Deionized water is then added to extract the sulfate. The extract is then filtered and barium chloride is added to create a precipitate of barium sulfate that can then be detected and quantified using a turbidimeter. Accurate measurement of the water-soluble sulfate is key to designing a successful concrete project.
• SOIL AND CONCRETE •- Continued from page 1 -
Braun Intertec Analyst Profile:Meet Scott Hommerding
Before coming to the Analytical Laboratory in May, Scott Hommerding interned on a research project that had him outdoors monitoring influent and effluent effects on a lake southwest of the Twin Cities. Now, as Scott begins his scientific career at the Braun Intertec Analytical Laboratory, he is taking water research one step further by performing general inorganic analyses of water and soil samples for dissolved and suspended solids, pH, nutrient levels and cyanide. Additionally, Scott works with a dedicated mercury analyzer that can detect trace levels of mercury in water and soil. The analyzer is one of the most sensitive instruments in the laboratory. However, his favorite analysis is for chlorophyll.
“That analysis is very straightforward and provides a good indication of changes going on in a body of water,” Scott said. “This can help researchers make correlations.”
When Scott isn’t working, this Minnesota State University - Mankato chemistry graduate enjoys camping, bicycling, and playing hockey and soccer.
Scott Hommerding uses the mercury analyzer to detect for trace levels of mercury in water and soil samples.
braunintertec.com 3
The MPCA guidance document “Investigation Requirements for Ethanol-Blended Fuel Releases” may be found on the MPCA website: www.pca.state.mn.us.
By Rebecca Hofstad, Ph.D., Technical [email protected]
In June of 2009, 14 train cars hauling ethanol derailed in Illinois. Approximately 360,000 gallons of ethanol are believed to have been consumed by fire. As much as another 75,000 gallons leaked from some of the cars into the surrounding environment. One motorist was killed as a result of the fire, several people were injured, 600 homes in the surrounding area were evacuated and a large fish kill was observed in nearby waters soon after the spill.
Currently about 21 production plants in Minnesota generate more than a billion gallons of ethanol each year. Since 1997, gasoline sold in the state must contain 10 percent ethanol. Nationally, ethanol accounted for about 8 percent of the motor vehicle gasoline supply in 2009. Minnesota leads the nation in ethanol use. Unfortunately, such widespread use of ethanol can result in unintended releases to the environment.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) in August of 2010 released the guidance document, “Investigation Requirements for Ethanol-Blended Fuel Releases.” An ethanol-specific guidance document was needed because environmental risks posed by ethanol are different in many ways from releases of other petroleum products, such as gasoline.
Ethanol releases contribute to methane production Organic matter in soils may naturally decay under anaerobic conditions (the absence of oxygen) by reactions that convert iron, sulfate, nitrate and manganese into reduced forms. For example, iron III (Fe ) is converted into iron II (Fe ) by accepting electrons. Carbon dioxide (CO ) and hydrogen (H ) are generated as byproducts. Under similar conditions, ethanol may be degraded to acetate (CH COO ) as follows:
CH CH OH + H O = CH COOH + 2 H Ethanol Water Acetate Hydrogen
When iron, sulfate, nitrate and manganese are depleted, conditions become suitable for the production of methane (CH ) by anaerobic bacteria. There are two pathways for methane production:
CO + 4 H = CH + 2 H O Carbon Dioxide Hydrogen Methane Water
CH COOH = CH + CO Acetate Methane Carbon Dioxide
Ethanol releases to the environment may ultimately lead to methane production via acetate. These processes are dependent on many factors and environmental conditions. Thus, methane production may not occur until well after an ethanol release. In addition, environmental conditions impact the proportion of ethanol in groundwater, methane in groundwater and methane in soil gas. Because water solubility of methane is limited, methane gas may reach explosive levels.
Other potential impacts • Ethanol releases may result in increased dissolved oxygen demand, impacting fish and wildlife. • The persistence of other chemicals released during fuel spills may be affected as natural biodegradation processes for gasoline compounds compete with ethanol degradation. • Petroleum vapor transport and migration may be impacted by the presence of ethanol.
Overview of the new requirements MPCA Guidance Document c-prp4-21 focuses on releases of ethanol-blended fuels that are greater than 10 percent ethanol by volume, including E15, E20, E85 and E95. The type of release determines the extent of sampling and sampling parameters. Groundwater and soil gas sampling may be required, but soil analysis is not included in this guidance.
Due to the complexity of the impacts that an ethanol-blended fuel release poses, information may be needed for several chemical constituents, including ethanol, methane and the natural attenuation parameters in groundwater. In some circumstances, acetate in groundwater may also be required. Soil gas sampling parameters may include ethanol, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on the Minnesota Soil Gas List and the permanent gases methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and oxygen.
For analysis needs related to ethanol spills, please contact a Braun Intertec project manager.
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MPCA publishes ethanol release investigation guidance document
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Providing engineering and environmental solutions since 1957
©2011 Braun Intertec Corporation
Questions, Requests and Comments
Thomas Wagner, [email protected]
Steven Albrecht, [email protected]
Braun Intertec Corporation11001 Hampshire Avenue SMinneapolis, MN 55438
This newsletter contains only general information. For specific applications, please consult your engineering or environmental consultants and legal counsel.
Braun Intertec Launches New Website We invite you to learn more about our Analytical Laboratory’s services and capabilities by exploring the new Braun Intertec website at:www.braunintertec.com.
