Green Remediation Practices | Pump and Treat Systems
The following tips and guidance can help improve environmental outcomes and reduce costs during site cleanups.
System Design
- Conduct bench scale tests to help optimize chemical dosage for treatment.
- Consider technologies that can operate with pump-and-treat such as in situ chemical oxidation, thermal remediation or bio remediation.
- When using filters or adsorption material, use liquid filters that can be backwashed versus disposable filters.
- Consider benefits of pre-treatment or pre-filtering prior to the use of adsorption media such as Granular Activated Carbon (GAC).
- Consider source materials for GAC media — the material can be virgin or reactivated GAC, or coconut-based GAC.
- Size pumps, fans and motors appropriately and use energy efficient motors.
- Use gravity flow where feasible to reduce the number of pumps for water transfer after subsurface extraction.
- Install Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) to set constant or variable flow rates. VFDs can reduce a pump’s energy demand up to 50 percent while avoiding damage to mechanical equipment | Learn More >
Operation
- Work with supplier to regenerate rather than dispose of GAC.
- Check and correct leaks in compressed air lines or identify inefficient use of compressed air.
- Use onsite or nearby city’s sewer system to dispose of treated wastewater.
- Consider options for a ‘polishing’ technique when contaminants are reduced to a target level.