CES Remediation Technologies & Site Cleanup Flashcards
6 cards from real CES practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 CES Remediation Technologies & Site Cleanup flashcards as text
What is the purpose of the 'Feasibility Study' (FS) in the CERCLA remediation process?
Answer: To develop and evaluate alternative remediation approaches against CERCLA's nine evaluation criteria
The Feasibility Study systematically develops and screens remediation alternatives against CERCLA's nine criteria—including protectiveness, implementability, and cost—to identify the preferred cleanup approach.
What does 'treatment train' mean in the context of site remediation?
Answer: Combining multiple complementary remediation technologies sequentially to address different contaminant conditions
A treatment train integrates multiple technologies in sequence—such as ISCO to destroy source zone contamination followed by bioremediation to address the dissolved plume—when no single technology achieves cleanup goals.
What is 'ex-situ thermal desorption' and how does it treat contaminated soil?
Answer: Heating excavated soil to temperatures that volatilize organic contaminants, separating them from the soil matrix for off-gas treatment
Ex-situ thermal desorption excavates contaminated soil and heats it to cause organic contaminants to volatilize and separate from the soil, with the generated vapors collected and treated—operating at lower temperatures than incineration.
What is the primary performance metric for evaluating groundwater remediation system effectiveness over time?
Answer: Contaminant concentration trends in performance monitoring wells
Declining contaminant concentration trends in monitoring wells are the primary indicator of whether a remediation system is achieving progress toward cleanup goals.
What is an 'institutional control' in the context of contaminated site management?
Answer: Legal or administrative mechanisms that restrict land use or exposure pathways at sites with residual contamination
Institutional controls are legal and administrative tools (e.g., deed restrictions, environmental easements, groundwater use restrictions) that limit exposure to residual contamination when engineering controls alone cannot achieve unrestricted cleanup levels.
What is 'reductive dechlorination' in the anaerobic bioremediation of chlorinated solvents?
Answer: Sequential anaerobic microbial removal of chlorine atoms from chlorinated solvents, ultimately producing harmless ethene
Reductive dechlorination is an anaerobic biological process where microorganisms (especially Dehalococcoides) sequentially remove chlorine atoms from PCE and TCE through a series of daughter products, ultimately yielding harmless ethene.