Innovative Technology

New methods and technologies for environmental investigation and remediation are constantly being developed, tested, and promoted. Consulting engineers and geologists must be able to evaluate and determine whether

An innovative technology suits a client’s situation and whether it can be utilized cost effectively and with confidence.

Experience in environmental engineering is knowing when to rely on proven designs and methodologies and when to recommend the innovative approaches that result in effective (but possibly riskier) solutions to complex environmental problems. Innovative technologies employed by The Whitman Companies include:

Investigation Techniques

(Contact Richard Britton)

• In-well instrumentation and logging
• Advanced hydrogeological testing
• Use of tracers
• Field-screening devices
• Soil gas surveys
• Immunoassay analytical techniques
• Triad

Remediation Technologies

• DNAPL (dense non-aqueous phase liquid) recovery
• Nanoscale zero valent Iron
• Mobile treatment systems
• Air sparging
• Bioremediation for soil and ground water
• Slurry wall encapsulation
• Thermally enhanced remediation
• Use of engineered impermeable barriers
• Innovative dewatering
• Stabilization of contaminated soil with beneficial reuse on site

Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron

Nanoscale zero-valent iron has become a highly feasible, emergent technology for the remediation of organic contaminants in soil and ground water including chlorinated solvents, pesticides, PCBs, nitroaromatics and other redox-ameniable compounds.  Dr. Dan Elliott, Vice President of Technical Operations, is an expert on nanoscale technology having recently completed his doctorial research on the application of this technology to the remediation of four (4) environmentally significant isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), used in technical grade and refined pesticide formulations from the 1940s into the 1990s.  Gamma-HCH, better known as Lindane, was a major pesticide product.

Whitman is applying the nanoscale zero-valent iron technology to the remediation of a significant Brownfield site in Passaic, New Jersey.  At this former industrial facility being remediated under the NJDEP Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA), Whitman is proceeding with the in-situ remediation of chlorinated solvents, specifically TCE and PCE, even as a new owner is preparing to acquire the property and utilize it for the expansion of a major food-product based business enterprise.  For more information on this innovative remediation, contact Senior Project Manager Ed Sullivan at esullivan@whitmanco.com

Remediation by Ozone Injection

The Whitman Companies, Inc. is remediating a Pennsylvania property containing a Trichloroethylene (TCE) ground water plume.  Due to site conditions, a pending property sale and migration of the contaminant plume onto neighboring residential property, alternative remedial methods were evaluated for the site.  The remedial alternative identified for the site is Chemical Oxidation by Ozone Injection.  This remedial method involves the injection of Ozone into the ground water where it destroys the TCE.  The remediation will take a few months to complete, a much shorter time period than conventional methods that can take years to complete.  The remediation is being performed with oversight by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under their Act II Regulations.

In-Situ Chemical Oxidation

A 30 by 40 foot area containing elevated concentrations of TCE and PCE was delineated at an industrial site located in Fairfield, NJ.  Contaminated soil extended under an operations building to a depth of approximately 18 feet.  Due to structural and health and safety concerns, excavation of soil source materials was limited to areas outside the building structure.  

Several remediation technologies were evaluated and on the basis of overall effectiveness and lack of disturbance to site operations, in-situ injection of chemical oxidants was selected as the most appropriate remedial technology to treat the soil contamination the process involved injecting hydrogen peroxide and associated amendments as required directly into the contaminated source zone located underneath the building.  The oxidant chemicals react with the contaminant, producing substances such as carbon dioxide, water, and inorganic chloride.

Post injection sampling following the initial applications of hydrogen peroxide show a promising reduction of TCE and PCE concentrations.

With these and other state-of-the-art methods the engineers, geologists, and scientists of The Whitman Companies have successfully completed projects with full regulatory approvals while delivering significant cost savings for clients. As testimony to our expertise, in 1997 we were honored by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers with an Excellence in Environmental Engineering Honor Award for an industrial site remediation project in Teterboro, New Jersey – "Remediation of a Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid by Combined In-Situ Treatment Technologies."

For more information on the use of in-situ chemical oxidation contact Ed Sullivan, Senior Project Manager at esullivan@whitmanco.com

Our commitment to investing in and pursuing innovative environmental engineering techniques sets The Whitman Companies apart from other consulting firms in many ways, but primarily because of the benefits it brings to our clients’ bottom line.