Maximize Savings and Minimize Air Pollution with On-Site Manufacturing of Embankment Soils

Accidental spill of chemicals and subsequently contamination of nearby soil is a common phenomenon for Texas roads and highways. In order to comply with the environmental regulations, a large quantity of project soil is not allowed for use. Typically, the contaminated soil is first segregated and then trucked offsite to an authorized landfill or a recycling facility. This process is costly in many ways. In this study, this process of complete removal of contaminated soil will be compared with other two alternative solutions in which the soil will be remediated on-site following the most economical solution to achieve two different cleanup goals. Then a cost-benefit analysis will be conducted to evaluate which solution would support sustainable economic growth. In this analysis, along with the direct cost involved with any particular alternative other impacts due to environmental, social, and economical factors will also be considered. A decision making tool to select a cleanup technology for highest value for on-site remediation will also be developed based on several factors, such as type of contaminants, extent of contamination, geology and soils, topography and landform, climate and meteorology, time required for cleanup, and cleanup goals. In addition, a specification of the remediated soil will also be developed to reuse it for roadway construction based on Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) engineering standards and TxDOT’s material specification guidelines for evaluating and using non-hazardous recyclable materials (DMS 11000, Evaluating and Using Non-hazardous Recyclable Materials Guidelines). Finally, the cost-benefit analysis of different alternatives and the specification of remediated soil will be presented to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for regulatory approval.

Language

  • English

Project

  • Status: Terminated
  • Funding: $164686
  • Contract Numbers:

    0-6928

  • Sponsor Organizations:

    Texas Department of Transportation

    125 E. 11th Street
    Austin, TX  United States  78701-2483
  • Project Managers:

    Jensen, Darrin

  • Performing Organizations:

    University of Texas, San Antonio

    1 UTSA Circle
    San Antonio, TX  United States  78249
  • Principal Investigators:

    Bin-Shafique, Sazzad

  • Start Date: 20160825
  • Expected Completion Date: 0
  • Actual Completion Date: 20170531

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01626195
  • Record Type: Research project
  • Source Agency: Texas Department of Transportation
  • Contract Numbers: 0-6928
  • Files: RIP, STATEDOT
  • Created Date: Feb 17 2017 12:36PM