January 19, 2010
Environmental Business Journal Bestows Remediation Technology Award Upon AMEC
OAKLAND, CA – AMEC has won a Remediation Technology Merit Award from the Environmental Business Journal (EBJ) for a pair of innovative demonstration projects that are underway for the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment (AFCEE).
The award marks the sixth year in a row that AMEC has been selected for an EBJ Business Achievement Award. It will be presented during a March 3 ceremony at the Environmental Industry Summit VIII in Coronado, Calif.
The two demonstration projects seek to save the United States government time and money while improving the remediation of contaminated sites. Both are being conducted by AMEC Geomatrix professionals.
One project involves an evaluation of Bio-Trap microbial samplers at Air Force Plant 4 in Texas, where groundwater is contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE) and other chlorinated solvents. The samplers, which capture naturally present bacteria in order to evaluate their biodegradation potential, are being evaluated on site for their ability to determine the best bioremediation techniques. The project is led by Vice President and Principal Scientist Laurie LaPat-Polasko, PhD, in AMEC’s Scottsdale, Ariz. office.
The other project is focused primarily on source-zone remediation and involves the testing of stabilized nano-scale iron for treatment of chlorinated solvents in groundwater. The technology being tested is an environmentally friendly cellulose stabilized coating of the iron nano-particles. The coating is expected to prevent agglomeration, thereby improving the delivery of the nano-particles to the aquifer and maintaining their high reactivity with the contaminants. If successful, cellulose-stabilized nano-scale iron will significantly accelerate the cleanup of groundwater and may reduce life-cycle treatment costs by as much as 90 percent. The project team consists of Principal Geochemist Dawn Kaback, PhD, of Denver, Colo., Project Engineer Zhong Xiong, PhD, PE of Newport Beach, Calif., and Senior Hydrogeologist Peter Bennett, PG of Oakland, Calif.
The Business Achievement Awards are selected by a committee of EBJ staff and editorial advisory board members from 200-word nominations submitted by companies or other parties. For more information, please click here.
For more information, please contact:
Marion Thatch
510.663.4128
marion.thatch@amec.com