Research Needs in Subsurface Science (2000) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
3 Assessment of the EM Science Program Portfolio
3 Assessment of the EM Science Program Portfolio
Pages 47-58
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 47... ...
Thus, as this committee began to address its task statement to provide advice on a subsurface research agenda (see Chapter 1) , it asked itself the following two questions, which provide a focus for the current chapter of this report: Was discussed in Chapter 1, the current program was established by Congress in fiscal year 1996.
|
From page 48... ...
The committee's assessment is based on a review of project titles, principal investigator experience and affiliations, project abstracts as provided in DOE's 1998 report to Congress (DOE, 1 998g) , and on a review of progress reports provided by the principal investigators, which were published in the proceedings volume of the Environmental Management Science Program Workshop (DOE, 1 998c)
|
From page 49... ...
The committee spent a considerable amount of time during its first two meetings discussing the merits of various organizing schemes for this assessment and eventually adopted a slightly modified form of an approach that is used by DOE's Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area4 to organize its technology development programs (see Figure 3.2~. This organizational scheme comprises a five-point technical strategy that is based on what the focus area refers to as "the accepted process for the remediation of contaminated sites" (DOE, 1 997b)
|
From page 50... ...
Other Projects that address subsurface contamination problems, but do not fit into one of the preceding categories. The committee adopted this scheme for organizing its assessment mainly for convenience, but also because this scheme could provide a direct linkage between basic research in the EM Science Program and applied technology development in the Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area.
|
From page 51... ...
The projects in this portfolio address many of the subsurface problems described in Chapter 2, including aspects of the following topical areas: · development and testing of noninvasive techniques to identify the distribution of non-aqueous phase liquids in the subsurface; · development and validation of analytical and modeling tools to be used in subsurface process representation and characterization; · development of techniques and instruments to determine subsurtace parameters that describe flow of water and contaminant transport in the subsurface; and · noninvasive geophysical techniques and associated analytical , .
|
From page 52... ...
Remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater at many DOE sites is technically impracticable with current technologies, so DOE plans to monitor this contamination and treat it where necessary, using technologies such as pump-and-treat systems to prevent its further spread.5 Thus, the availability of robust containment and stabilization technologies will be a key factor in the success of DOE's strategy to manage subsurface contamination. Given the importance of containment and stabilization technologies to contamination management strategy, the committee would have expected to see a large number of projects on this topic; however, the committee was able to identify only six relevant projects in the portfolio (see Table 3.1 )
|
From page 53... ...
, whereas only 10 projects address treatment of radionucl ides and 1 4 address treatment of metals.9 The committee was able to group the projects into one or more of the following five thematic areas: (1 ) development of new genetic materials to degrade or alter the chemical composition of DOE's most problematic wastes, including mixed wastes containing radionuclides, heavy metals, and 8Bioremediation generally refers to the removal of contaminants from soil or water through the metabolic action of living organisms, and the term is commonly used to indicate situations in which humans have interceded to bring about or hasten the biodegradation of contaminant compounds.
|
From page 54... ...
. In lay terms, a hot spot is a distinct high-concentration contaminant anomaly in the subsurface (e.g., a pool of non-aqueous phase liquids trapped in a waste burial ground or a buried 55-gallon drum filled with plutonium-bearing scrap metal)
|
From page 55... ...
Some of the stud ies i n the portfol io on removal and neutral ization of contaminants in tank wastes may lead to results useful for treatment of extracted hot spot materials. Similarly, research projects on locating and quantifying contamination, which were discussed earlier, could make the location and definition of hot spots easier, faster, more accurate, and more economical.
|
From page 56... ...
. None of these projects addresses explicitly the remediation of subsurface contamination, but they are nevertheless relevant to subsurface cleanup efforts because they contribute to the body of science that regulatory agencies use to set cleanup standards and levels.
|
From page 57... ...
In the "Contain" category the gaps include research on the design, performance, or effectiveness of engineered surface or subsurface barriers. The portfolio in the "Validate" category (9 projects)
|
From page 58... ...
As noted elsewhere in this report, these are key problems for DOE because they underpin efforts to confirm the effectiveness of and obtain regu I atory acceptance for its remed i ation actions. There also appears to be a gap in the number of research projects covering radionuclide and metal contamination problems (26 and 31 projects, respectively)
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.