UA Represents SBRP at the “Second Biennial Central and Eastern European Conference on Health and the Environment”

Erik Rupp, University of Arizona Chemical and Environmental Engineering doctoral student presented, “Catalytic Destruction of PCE and TCE from SVE Gases – Field Study” at the Second Biennial Central and Eastern European Conference on Health and the Environment in Bratislava, Slovakia, October 22 – October 25, 2006.

The Central and Eastern European Conference on Health and the Environment (CEECHE) is an initiative of several US and European institutions that work to strengthen the cooperation between health and environmental professionals. By gathering scientists, engineers, and others from the US and Europe, CEECHE provides a platform where research objectives such as: new approaches for site assessment and risk characteristics; innovative methods of risk management and remediation; methods for evaluating the linkage between exposure and disease; and improved methods for risk communication can be discussed.

Mr. Rupp presented research from the Park-Euclid “State Superfund” site in Tucson, Arizona, where pilot-scale reactors have been built to treat 100 L/min of soil vapor containing chlorinated organics (mainly PCE and TCE) that contaminate the vadose zone and aquifer.

This project aims to destroy PCE and TCE in recovered soil vapor streams, thus eliminating or minimizing the need for activated carbon treatment. Destruction is based on metal-catalyzed reactions in catalysts designed primarily for automobile exhaust treatment. More importantly, the resultant gas stream is essentially organic-free because contaminants are fully mineralized to carbon dioxide and hydrochloric acid.

Contributions:
The NIEHS SBRP and US EPA provided funding for Erik Rupp’s travel and participation.

Acknowledgements:
Mr. Rupp’s advisors and project collaborators: Eric Betterton, Theresa Foley, and Brian Barbaris (Department of Atmospheric Sciences); Robert Arnold,  Eduardo Sáez, and Marty Willinger (Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering).