Treatability studies, pilot-scale

Thus, bench or pilot studies are necessary to avoid technology misapplication in the field. The loss of time in treatment or the requirement to provide additional treatment for the waste is very expensive. Therefore, the relatively small costs and time needed for these studies make them useful tools in treatment selection. Bench-scale treatability studies for demonstrated technologies can cost between 10,000- 50,000 and take up to 6 weeks. Demonstrated technologies are those for which the major design parameters and treatment efficiencies are well understood. Innovative (and some biological processes) will require substantially more time (4-16 weeks) and money ( 25,000-> 200,000). These are estimates, and actual time and costs are going to depend on what kind of technology is under consideration. 

Once a decision is made to perform treatability studies, the type of treatability testing (bench or pilot scale) should be decided. The choice of bench versus pilot testing is affected by the level of... 

Pilot-scale treatability studies are enlargements of bench-scale tests, which more closely approach the full-scale project. The objective of pilot-scale tests is to verify treatability outside of a laboratory setting and verify the actual field conditions. Many pilot-scale studies are performed at the actual project site. Data from pilot-scale studies are used to design full-scale field operations. A pilot test may include the following ... 

The technology has been applied to pilot-scale treatability studies, but is presently not commercially available (December 1996). 

Terra-Vit was evaluated in a pilot-scale treatability study at the Recomp of Washington site in Ferndale, Washington. During this study. Terra-Vit was used to process 2 tons of municipal incinerator ash containing barium, cadmium, and lead. Treatment costs were reported to be 52 per ton (D10028N, p. 11 D213445). 

Based on data from the Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) program demonstration, total demonstration project costs were calculated to be 813,505 (1992 dollars). The vendor calculated costs to prepare for and execute the treatability study at their pilot-scale... 

The technology has been used in full-scale field applications and is commercially available. IT has several pilot systems available for on-site treatability studies. 

The estimated price range for using the IT slurry-phase bioremediation technology is 175 to 250/yd of waste treated. Based on the treatment of 800 lb of soil, sludge, or sediment in a pilot-scale treatability study, the IT slurry-phase bioremediation technology cost is estimated to... 

This technology has been researched by the U.S. Department of Energy s (DOE s) Paciflc Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) since 1991. Testing resulted in a pilot-scale dithionite injection experiment in 1995. A larger scale treatability study was initiated in 1997. Research on ISRM is ongoing, and the technology is not yet commercially available. 

This system is still in the demonstration stage. Treatability studies have been conducted at several vendor facilities on bench- and pilot-scale systems. A demonstration of the technology on actual mixed low-level waste (MLLW) was conducted in fiscal year 1995 on the VAC TRAX demonstration unit. According to information from the vendor received in September 1999, the company is closed for business and VAC TRAX is no longer available. 

A pilot treatability study, using full-scale equipment, would cost 37/yd. ... 

A pilot-scale treatability study was conducted using white rot fungus at a former ordnance open bum/open detonation area at Site D, Naval Submarine Base, Bangor, Washington. Initial TNT concentrations of 1,844 ppm were degraded to 1,267 ppm in 30 days and 1,087 in 120 days. The overall degradation was 41%, and final TNT soil levels were well above the proposed cleanup level of 30 ppm (Spectrum Sciences Software, Inc., and Utah State University, no date). 

---