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Abstract

Release of fuel oils during transportation or during roadside accidents is very common. According to the figures available, number of incidents involving hazmat accidents has increased from 7,297 in 1990 to 14,443 in 1999. In most cases the standard cleanup protocol is followed but in some cases it is not possible to follow the protocol because of the accident locations. It is particularly difficult to excavate surface soil where utility lines are very near to the surface and services of utility agencies are not immediately available. In such situations, it is considered safe to use effective bioremediation solution for on-site cleanup. In these situations, AgroRemed has been employed with successful results. Two case studies are presented in this paper. One case demonstrates revitalization of roadside vegetation through bioremediation after a spill of motor oil and another case describes application of AgroRemed to sites affected by diesel spill with underlying utility cables. The TPH of the soil after bioremediation was reduced by more than 95% from 65,000 ppm in the first case, while in the second case the TPH was found to be below the detectable values from the initial value of 47,000 ppm. VaporRemed was employed for fumes originating from the spilled site and where the spill had affected the fertility of soil, AgroRemed was used. Both these products are available in a ready to use liquid form and are known to effectively bioremediate the contaminated soils and fumes in a very short period of time. The advantage of these products is that they de-toxify the contaminated soils and facilitate growth of vegetation.

The Virginia Department of Transportation was actively involved in the cleanup operations, and although the Virginia DEQ was not directly involved, the department reviewed the data to confirm that the values of TPH were below the accepted levels.

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