Research and development of a computer model for screening and evaluating remedial action technologies

A computer model, developed in association with this thesis, is a result of researching a vast number of environmental remediation technologies. The purpose of the model is to provide a user with a tool for aiding in the selection and evaluation of the best available remedial technology for Feasibility Study (FS) Remedial Actions under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). One of the primary phases of the FS process is the development and screening of alternatives. This phase involves the steps of "(1) identifying remedial action objectives; (2) identifying potential treatment, resource recovery, and containment technologies that will satisfy these objectives; (3) screening the technologies based on their effectiveness, implementability, and cost; and (4) assembling technologies and their associated containment or disposal requirements into alternatives for the contaminated media at the site or for the operable unit" (EPA 1988b). Existing models tend to focus only on the identification of potential remedial action technologies. To further advance computer-aided engineering in the environmental engineering field, this thesis is intended to prove that a computer model could be developed to encompass information on the effectiveness, implementability, and cost of a remedial technology for a given environmental media (i.e., soils, sediments, groundwater, etc.) contaminated by a general waste group (e.g., nonhalogenated volatile organics,R&D of a Computer Model For Screening and Evaluating RA Technologies Radioactives, inorganics, etc.) and serve as a valuable tool in evaluation remedial action technologies.

To fulfill the realization of the model, a number of objectives were established for the development of the personal computer-based system. The model should be able to assist students, faculty, and the environmental industry technical personnel in understanding remedial technologies, selecting potentially applicable technologies for a given CERCLA site, and planning for remedial action. The model should be "user friendly" utilizing menus and help screens. The computer model should provide a valuable contribution to the development of environmental technology computer databases, including capabilities and features incorporated into the model which offer a significant improvement over the current state-of-the-art systems. This thesis is intended to provide the reader and/or model user the basis for the development of the computer model in meeting these objectives.