Welcome to TechDirect! The March TechDirect kicks off the 11th
year of service. Since the February 1 message, TechDirect gained
387 new subscribers for a total of 27,482. If you feel the service
is valuable, please share TechDirect with your colleagues. Anyone
interested in subscribing may do so on CLU-IN at http://clu-in.org .
All previous issues of TechDirect are archived there. The TechDirect
messages of the past can be searched by keyword or can be viewed
as individual issues.
TechDirect's purpose is to identify new technical, policy and
guidance resources related to the assessment and remediation of
contaminated soil, sediments and ground water.
Mention of non-EPA documents or presentations does not
constitute a U.S. EPA endorsement of their contents, only an
acknowledgment that they exist and may be relevant to the
TechDirect audience.
Upcoming Live Internet Seminars
ITRC Real-Time Measurement of Radionuclides in Soil - March 6.
This training introduces state regulators, environmental
consultants, site owners, and community stakeholders to ITRC's
Technology Overview document: Real-Time Measurement of
Radionuclides in Soil: Technology and Case Studies (RAD-4,
2006), created by ITRC's Radionuclides Team. This training
provides information on the basics of real-time measurement
systems, how the technologies and data are used, acceptance
issues, and case studies. For more information and to register,
see http://www.itrcweb.org or http://clu-in.org/studio .
Use of SADA for Spatial Analysis - March 9. Spatial Analysis and
Decision Assistance (SADA; http://www.tiem.utk.edu/~sada/) is
evolving freeware that incorporates tools from environmental
assessment fields into an effective problem-solving environment.
Robert Stewart, who leads the development of the software at the
University of Tennessee, will focus this discussion on using
SADA for spatial analysis. This seminar goes beyond the general
SADA CLU-IN seminar (archived at:
http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/sada_08 ... to show the
specific capabilities of SADA for making decisions using
correlation, interpolation, and probability; and the caveats for
using these methods at hazardous waste sites. For more
information and to register, see http://clu-in.org/studio .
Nanotechnology - DNAPL Remediation - March 15. The Superfund
Basic Research Program (SBRP), in collaboration with the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), presents 'Nanotechnology
- DNAPL Remediation.' In the last decade, the potential to use
nanoparticles (particles <100nm in size) for environmental
remediation has attracted much attention, particularly to
address the challenging scenarios encountered with Dense
Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) contamination. This seminar
will explore both the theoretical potential and practical
challenges associated with the application of nanoscale
particles for in situ remediation of DNAPLs. Matt Hull (Luna
Innovations, Inc.) and Peter Vikesland (Virginia Tech) will
present 'Magnetite Nanoparticles for Remediation of Contaminated
Groundwater.' As part of their EPA SBIR collaboration, they
have developed stabilized suspensions of nanoscale magnetite
(Fe3O4) particles for the remediation of groundwater
contaminated with carbon tetrachloride (CT). Greg Lowry
(Carnegie Mellon University) will present 'Functionalized
Reactive Nanoscale Fe0 (NZVI) for in situ DNAPL Remediation:
Opportunities and Challenges.' Dr. Lowry will discuss the
potential of surface-functionalized reactive Fe0 nanoparticles
(NZVI) to overcome some of the challenges of DNAPL remediation.
This is the third seminar in the Risk-e-Learning Series
'Nanotechnology - Applications and Implications for Superfund.'
For more information and to register, see
http://clu-in.org/studio .
ITRC Risk Assessment and Risk Management: Determination and
Application of Risk-Based Values March 27. This training
course describes the development and application of risk-based
screening values. The first module provides a review of key risk
assessment concepts related to risk management. The second
module focuses on the process by which risk-based levels are
derived in different states. The third module examines the
application of risk assessment to remediation operations in two
case studies providing examples of how risk assessment has
actually been implemented, based upon research and case studies
conducted by the ITRC Risk Assessment Resources team. This
training course describes a number of the reasons behind
variations in risk-based screening values and their use in risk
management. For more information and to register, see
http://www.itrcweb.org or http://clu-in.org/studio .
New Documents and Web Resources
FP7: Tomorrow's Answers Start Today. This document was produced
by the European Commission. FP7 is the short name for the
Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological
Development. This is the EU's main instrument for funding
research in Europe and it will run from 2007 to 2013. The EC
budget for the next seven years is 50.5 billion euros and the
Euratom budget for the next five years is 2.7 billion euros.
FP7 is also designed to respond to Europe's employment needs and
competitiveness. The EU Framework Program 7 does envision
collaboration on research and technology development between the
EU and other nations. FP7 covers areas such as environment
(including climate change), nanotechnology, renewable energy,
and environmental technology verification and testing (2007, 32
pages). View or download at http://clu-in.org/techpubs.htm .
Nanotechnology White Paper (EPA 100-B-07-001). Nanotechnology
presents new opportunities to improve how we measure, monitor,
manage and minimize contaminants in the environment. New
generations of nanomaterials will evolve and with them new and
possibly unforeseen environmental issues. The purpose of this
White Paper is to inform EPA management of the science issues
and needs associated with nanotechnology, to support related EPA
program office needs, and to communicate these nanotechnology
science issues to stakeholders and the public (February 2007,
132 pages). View or download at http://www.epa.gov/osa/nanotech.htm .
Emerging Nanotechnologies for Site Remediation and Wastewater
Treatment. This document was prepared by Katherine Watlington, a
National Network of Environmental Management Studies (NNEMS)
grantee, under a fellowship from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. This paper seeks to provide a holistic view
of the state of the science of nanotechnology. Both the
commercialized nanotechnology products and many of the
technologies being researched in academia are discussed.
Attention is given both to the research itself as well as the
remedial capabilities. The toxicity and safety concerns of the
individual technologies are also briefly outlined as are the
overall toxicity concerns related more generally to the field of
nanotechnology. Finally the current state of regulation is
addressed (August 2005, 55 pages). View or download at
http://clu-in.org/techpubs.htm.
Innovations in Site Characterization Case Study: The Role of a
Conceptual Site Model for Expedited Site Characterization Using
the Triad Approach at the Poudre River Site, Fort Collins,
Colorado (EPA 542-R-06-007). This case study examines how
systematic planning, an evolving conceptual site model (CSM),
dynamic work strategies, and real time measurement technologies
can be used to unravel complex contaminant distribution patterns
and design a remedy at the Cache La Poudre (Poudre) River site.
The investigation and design of the remedy in
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