Treatment of Copper-Contaminated Marine Sediments

Category:

Environmental Dredging

Operating Procedures

Description:

Recent developments in physical and chemical system handling of contaminated sediments,

performed on the 1993/94 Port of San Diego Cleanup Project

The principal contaminant was copper. Twenty-one-thousand cubic yards of copper

contaminated sediments were dredged using a 4-yd3 enclosed clamshell bucket within a silt

curtain. Sediments were tested as they were being dredged. Sediments having concentrations

over 2,500 PPM were treated by a physical separation system. Sediments containing less than

2,500 PPM were treated by chemical fixation. Physical separation treatment using hydrocyclones

processed approximately 9 tons/hr. Approximately 1,100 tons of copper-containing sediment

were recycled to a mining facility in Arizona. Chemical fixation treated up to 100 tons/hr. At a

compaction rate of up to 95%, 17,800-yd3 of chemically fixated sediments were placed in the

onsite repository. Some 356 tons of ferrous material and 713 tons of non-ferrous material were

screened and separated from the dredged sediments. All of this material was either sent to a scrap

metal recycler, landfill, or private metal handler.

Reviewer:

C. Woolley

Company / Organization(s):

Projects Completed:

Port of San Diego Copper Cleanup Project

Location:

San Diego, California

Completion Date:

1994

Project Contact:

Eileen Maher

Project Cost:

$8.5 million

Information Sources:

Literature:

Month:

Year:

1995

LitType:

Report/Proceedings

Publisher:

WEDA 16

Page:

213

104

Chapter 5 Other Technologies Reviewed