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 'pump-and-treat' remediation and what is its primary limitation?
Answer: Extracting contaminated groundwater for surface treatment; limited by slow contaminant desorption and NAPL source persistence
Pump-and-treat extracts contaminated groundwater for above-ground treatment but is limited by slow desorption of contaminants from soil and persistence of NAPL source zones that cause concentration rebound.
What is 'in-situ chemical oxidation' (ISCO) used for in site remediation?
Answer: Injecting chemical oxidants into the subsurface to destroy organic contaminants in place
ISCO involves injecting chemical oxidants such as permanganate, persulfate, or catalyzed hydrogen peroxide into contaminated media to chemically destroy organic contaminants without excavation.
Which remediation technology uses microorganisms to break down organic contaminants in soil and groundwater?
Answer: Bioremediation
Bioremediation harnesses naturally occurring or introduced microorganisms to metabolize and degrade organic contaminants under aerobic or anaerobic conditions.
What is 'soil vapor extraction' (SVE) and what contaminants is it most effective for?
Answer: A vacuum-based system that removes volatile organic compounds from unsaturated zone soil
SVE applies vacuum to extraction wells to draw VOCs from vadose zone soil into the vapor phase for above-ground treatment, and is most effective for high-vapor-pressure compounds like gasoline and chlorinated solvents.
What is 'monitored natural attenuation' (MNA) as a remediation strategy?
Answer: Relying on natural processes like biodegradation and dilution to reduce contamination to acceptable levels while monitoring confirms progress
MNA relies on naturally occurring physical, chemical, and biological processes to reduce contaminant concentrations over time, supported by monitoring to demonstrate protectiveness and progress toward cleanup goals.
What is a 'permeable reactive barrier' (PRB) and how does it treat contaminated groundwater?
Answer: A subsurface wall of reactive material that passively treats contaminated groundwater as it naturally flows through
A PRB is a passive in-situ treatment system consisting of reactive material (commonly zero-valent iron) installed across the path of a contaminant plume to treat groundwater as it flows through by natural hydraulic gradient.