CES CES Remediation Technologies & Site Cleanup

Question 1

What is 'pump-and-treat' remediation and what is its primary limitation?

Accepted Answer

Extracting contaminated groundwater for surface treatment; limited by slow contaminant desorption and NAPL source persistence

Answer

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.

Question 2

What is 'in-situ chemical oxidation' (ISCO) used for in site remediation?

Accepted Answer

Injecting chemical oxidants into the subsurface to destroy organic contaminants in place

Answer

ISCO involves injecting chemical oxidants such as permanganate, persulfate, or catalyzed hydrogen peroxide into contaminated media to chemically destroy organic contaminants without excavation.

Question 3

Which remediation technology uses microorganisms to break down organic contaminants in soil and groundwater?

Accepted Answer

Bioremediation

Answer

Bioremediation harnesses naturally occurring or introduced microorganisms to metabolize and degrade organic contaminants under aerobic or anaerobic conditions.

Question 4

What is 'soil vapor extraction' (SVE) and what contaminants is it most effective for?

Accepted Answer

A vacuum-based system that removes volatile organic compounds from unsaturated zone soil

Answer

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.

Question 5

What is 'monitored natural attenuation' (MNA) as a remediation strategy?

Accepted Answer

Relying on natural processes like biodegradation and dilution to reduce contamination to acceptable levels while monitoring confirms progress

Answer

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.

(CES) Certified Environmental Specialist Practice Test

(CES) Certified Environmental Specialist Practice Test

CES CES Remediation Technologies & Site Cleanup