Meet Kacey Garber, M.S. of SCS Engineers, on Wednesday, June 14, at her 8:30-10am session of the Carbon Capture and Storage Summit. Kacey will be discussing how Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is becoming increasingly attractive due to growing climate change concerns as well as tax incentives related to conducting CO2 capture.
Facilities that capture CO2 may consider storing captured CO2 via geologic sequestration (GS). GS at a given location requires a Class VI Underground Injection Control (UIC) permit for a Class VI UIC well(s) to inject supercritical CO2. These permits require multiphase flow modeling to delineate both the extent of the supercritical CO2 plume and areas that exceed a critical pressure threshold as a result of the injection.
At SCS, numerical modeling is also valuable during project scoping to provide a sense of the total CO2 storage capacity for a given project. CO2 trapping (storage) mechanisms must be considered to determine long-term storage capacity, including structural/stratigraphic, capillary, solution, and mineral trapping (depending on geochemistry).
Solubility trapping appears to be the ultimate trapping mechanism for injected CO2 under most geochemical conditions; therefore, solution storage efficiency will be a key metric for project scoping. Solubility trapping occurs when the CO2 dissolves from its separate, buoyant phase into formation pore water. If the total available pore space for the project and the solubility limit of CO2 can be estimated, then the total solution storage capacity can also be estimated.
Then numerical modeling can be used to estimate design and operational parameters to quickly examine under what conditions the most efficient use of pore space occurs. In Ms. Garber’s example, her team investigated what factors may promote solution storage efficiency using a multiphase flow model. This includes how supercritical CO2 injection rate, duration, and location(s) affect solution storage efficiency. This simplified study concluded that injection rate, duration, and location(s) all affect solution storage efficiency. Project-specific considerations need to be incorporated into the model in order to determine the conditions ideal for maximizing solution storage efficiency.
Learn more about the Expo here. See the Agenda here.
Additional Information located on the Deep Well Injection and Carbon Sequestration site.
Join SCS Engineers professionals at the Resource Recovery Coalition of California’s 2023 Convention, June 27-30, at the Resort at Squaw Creek, Lake Tahoe, California.
The conference is co-sponsored by the California Waste Haulers Council.
The Resort at Squaw Creek is a Destination by Hyatt property. The conference will include plenty of networking and relaxing opportunities as well as sessions addressing pressing industry challenges and solutions.
Click here for evolving conference details and registration information.
Join SCS Engineers professionals at “REimagine California” the 47th Annual Conference & Tradeshow of the California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA), August 13-16, at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport in Burlingame, CA.
Each year, the CRRA organizes one of the most comprehensive and informative conferences dedicated to recycling and sustainable materials management in California and beyond. The Annual Conference and Tradeshow attracts over 600 individuals annually and showcases some 30 sessions with over 100 industry experts as presenters. The conference includes
This year’s event will be a hybrid, available live as well as online via streaming. All speakers will be presenting live from Burlingame.
Click for more conference details and registration information
On March 23, 2023, EPA hosted a live webinar entitled “Listening Session: CERCLA PFAS Enforcement.” EPA is currently preparing a CERCLA PFAS Enforcement Discretion Policy, and they presented an overview of their current thoughts on the topic. Following EPA’s 15-minute presentation, live comments from registered speakers (e.g., Anne Germain with National Waste and Recycling Association, Robin Wright with Delaware Solid Waste Authority) were provided.
SCS’s National Expert on Emerging Contaminants and on Innovative Technologies Jeff Marshall, provides these highlights from EPA’s presentation, delivered by Ken Patterson (EPA Office of Site Remediation Enforcement):
The policy discretion document is still being developed by EPA. The recording of the March 14 and 23, 2023, listening sessions will be posted soon on EPA’s CERCLA PFAS Enforcement Listening Sessions web page.
Follow SCS on your preferred social media site for updates. Please share this update with others whose operations will be impacted.
Additional Resources:
Video: Managing PFAS in Landfill Leachate and Sludge
Solutions: Liquids Management and Sequestration
Articles:
Deep Well Disposal for PFAS Attracts Heightened Interest as New Regulations Loom One thing that landfills, airports, wastewater treatment facilities, chemical companies, and other entities needing to manage liquid PFAS waste will not have to worry about is competing for deep well …
$2 Billion in EPA Grant Funding to Address PFAS in Drinking Water On February 13, 2023, the EPA announced the availability of $2 billion of grant funding to address emerging contaminants, like Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in drinking water across the …
USEPA Effluent Guidelines Program Plan, Including PFAS Limits & Nutrient Study USEPA recently issued Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15, which includes a focus on PFAS discharges from multiple categories. In conjunction with Plan 15, EPA has determined that revisions to the …
Biosolids and PFAS – What’s in my Fertilizer? Many original PFAS compounds were phased out of production in the early 2000s, but they were replaced with other compounds still being evaluated for safety. Tony Kollasch looks at the …
PFAS Discharges: EPA Issues NPDES Guidance to States While the Office of Water works to revise Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELGs) and develop water quality criteria to support technology-based and water quality-based effluent limits for PFAS in NPDES permits, this memorandum describes steps permit writers can implement under existing authorities to reduce the discharge of PFAS…
The Canadian Shale Water Management 2023 Exhibition and Conference, Calgary, Alberta, May 24 & 25, brings shale operators, supply and service companies together with leading water management experts and key regulators to explore new cost-effective water treatment, sourcing, disposal, and storage solutions exclusively for the region.
New initiatives toward more efficient and cost-effective water management solutions are being explored as operators seek optimal performance and low-cost water management strategies in line with the latest regulations and environmental considerations, ensuring long-term operational security.
Key topics of the Canadian Shale Water Management Conference will include:
Click for more details and registration information. Hope to see you there!
Odor attribution is a complicated process when nuisance odors are intermittent and come from more than one source. Today’s blog discusses technological advances in olfactometers and processes to investigate and resolve industrial or agricultural odors.
To investigate odors, SCS begins by reviewing odor complaints for patterns based on location, time of day, the month of the year, and local wind conditions. We then use a site survey to identify candidate sources of odor that may contribute to the region’s odor complaints. Next, we assess the relative contributions of the most probable sources identified by collecting odor samples at/near each source and upwind, downwind, and crosswind. Traditionally, a limited number of odor samples could be collected daily in Tedlar® bags and shipped overnight to a certified laboratory for analysis by an odor panel. The odor panel uses an olfactometer to sniff air samples at varying dilutions for odor concentration, character, and intensity following American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) methods.
In certain situations, however, using a portable olfactometer in the field is more efficient. SCS recently implemented the Scentroid SS400 Six Station Portable Olfactometer Odor Lab for large odor studies. The Scentroid SS400 is the world’s only portable six (6) panel olfactometer compliant with European Standard EN 13725/2003 and ASTM E679-04 and is compact for easy transportation and deployment in remote locations. The Scentroid SS400 allows us to:
By having more data, our SCS professionals gain insight into complex nuisance odors and propose targeted mitigation measures that reduce odor concentrations downwind. With over 30 years of experience resolving odors from landfills, wastewater treatment plants, composting facilities, agricultural and manufacturing facilities, we’re confident we can help your facility come up smelling like roses too.
Meet the Author: Greg Hauser is an SCS Project Director responsible for environmental compliance projects. He has over 30 years of experience with compliance topics such as air quality permitting, emission inventories, dispersion modeling, health risk assessments, and odor impact assessments. Mr. Hauser is experienced conducting odor studies of composting, landfill, and wastewater treatment plant operations. He has surveyed facilities to identify sources of interest, collected field samples of odorous emissions, developed odor emission profiles based on odor concentrations and odor flow rates, and conducted dispersion modeling to predict odor concentrations at or beyond the facility’s property boundary. He also provides health risk assessments for aerospace, manufacturing, wastewater treatment, and oil and gas facilities.
Additional Resources:
SCS Engineers periodically prepare SCS Technical Bulletins – short, clear summaries of rules, plans, and standards. In 2021, ASTM International published an updated consensus guidance document for evaluating environmental conditions at properties involved in commercial real estate transactions.
This SCS Technical Bulletin for the revised E1527-21, Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process addresses definitions and terminology, clarifies industry practice for the historical records review of the subject and adjoining properties, and provides for updates and additions to appendices, report outlines, and other collateral.
Our updated edition now includes the revised guidance speaks to the business risk associated with emerging contaminants, such as Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Read, share, download the A New Standard Practice for Phase I Environmental Site Assessments Tech Bulletin here.
For more information about Environmental Due Diligence, please visit our website.
SCS Engineers welcomes Ryan D. Francis as Environmental Services Project Director in Texas. He investigates and remediates petroleum or chlorinated solvent-contaminated properties for continued use or beneficial reuse.
Mr. Francis is a licensed professional geologist with over 16 years of experience, including senior management of a nationwide portfolio of petroleum storage tank closures; technical and project management of petroleum soil and groundwater site investigations and remediation; third-party technical review; property administrative controls; and serving as the geologist-on-record for multiple environmental projects in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas.
Ryan supports national clients in the logistics and oil & gas businesses, focusing on midstream and downstream infrastructure, such as underground and above-ground storage tanks, pipelines, and aging infrastructure; many in the U.S. are over 75 years old. He works closely with local and state environmental quality agencies to ensure appropriate environmental protection for each project and to support clients in complicated cases involving multiple responsible parties.
“At SCS, we guide our clients through the regulatory framework as it impacts each project’s work, whether infrastructure or properties, states Vice President Jeff Reed. “Ryan’s deep knowledge of midstream and downstream environmental regulations and ability to target what is most appropriate for the specific environmental conditions is a valuable addition to our O&G and Remediation teams.”
Meet Ryan D. Francis.
Join Rachel McShane, Tia Jeter, Kevin Jensen, and Spencer LaBelle at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI’s) Spring 2023 Safety & Environmental Conference (ISEC), May 16-18, in St. Louis.
ISEC is the most comprehensive source of up-to-date information and guidance concerning safe operations and environmental compliance in the recycled materials industry. EHS and Operations professionals from across the industry share lessons learned, best practices, and much more.
Come learn from the industry leaders in EHS and operations, participate in Q&A, offer your expertise to others in open discussions, and leave with actionable plans to implement in your organization. Conference topics will include:
Click for more conference details and registration information
Join SCS Engineers professionals at the 2023 Annual Florida Brownfields Conference, June 19-21, at Avanti International Resort in Orlando, Florida.
The Florida Brownfields Conference always brings great information from industry experts. The Call for Abstracts was extended through Friday, May 19. Organizers are seeking presentations on
Registration is now open. For registration information and more details as the conference takes shape, click here.
Hope to see you there!
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