Underground storage tanks operating requirements

The contamination of groundwater by leakage of hydrocarbons or other pollutants from underground storage tanks, distribution systems and various industrial operations is a major environmental problem. Conventional treatment techniques suffer from serious shortcomings which limit their applicability and efficiency. These include high cost and maintenance requirements, the need to transfer the contamination from one medium to another, and the extended duration of the operation, since decades may be necessary to prevent continued growth of contaminant plumes (Yerushalmi et al., 1999). An alternative to these treatments lies in in situ remediation. 

EPA. 1988b. Technical standards and corrective action requirements for owners and operators of underground storage tanks (UST). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Code of Federal Regulations. 40 CFR 280. 

The beneficial use of the end product has reached a point of diminishing return and is destroyed, discarded, or the operation is discontinued. Depending upon the nature of the product, this phase may require disposal planning, phase-out deconfiguration, actual tear-down or disassembly, and so on. Such actions are especially necessary when dealing with hazardous products or systems such as hazardous waste treatment equipment/facilities, underground storage tank removals, and nuclear power plant modifications. 

Printed Circuit Boards. Manufacture of printed circuit boards generates spent solvents, photo resist skins, filters, and etch and plating solutions. Numerous air permits are usually required of these types of operations for both fixed and mobile equipment moved around the manufacturing areas. Underground storage tanks for chemical products and waste accumulation or waste treatment (neutralization or metals reduction) are typically used. 

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