C5 Plus Ltd. - Communicair

Environmental pollution, in the form of fuels, solvents and hydrocarbons, is a major issue. The "Priority Pollutants" as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are suspected, or known, to represent risks to human health. As a consequence, they form the basis for the development of environmental assessment and cleanup regulations throughout the world. Included in the list of "Priority Pollutants" are benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylenes and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's). Since, by definition, pollutants are not abundant in nature, they contaminate air, water and soil when they are inadvertently released.

An important innovation being offered by C5 Plus Ltd. is technology for the assessment of the presence of hydrocarbon contamination in the subsurface environment. It is an easy-to-use, remote sensing technique called VASH, the acronym for Vapour Analyses of Subsurface Environments, that provides detailed information in a very cost effective and timely manner.

Applications and Advantages

This technology will allow you to manage your environmental risks for a fraction of standard costs. VASH offers savings of up to 90% when assessing whether the subsurface of your property has been contaminated with fugitive hydrocarbons! Also available are case histories showing its applicability.

REMOTE SENSING OF THE SUBSURFACE ENVIRONMENT USING THE VASH TECHNIQUE

APPLICATIONS

Oil Refineries
Natural Gas Processing Facilities
Chemical Processing Plants
Fuel Storage Facilities

ADVANTAGES

Simple and Rugged
Inexpensive Delineation Technique
Intrinsically Safe
Precise Identification of Volatile and Semi-Volatile Compounds
Sound QA/QC Procedures

Delineation of the Extent of Subsurface Contamination

Before a contaminated site can be remediated, it is necessary to locate and delineate the extent of the contamination. The most popular approach has been the use of surface drilling, followed by soil sampling and laboratory analysis programs. C5 Plus Ltd have used this approach and agree that it can provide excellent quantitative information with respect to soil contamination in the vertical direction. Unfortunately, the high associated costs for drilling/sampling/analysis/reporting ($3000 to $4000 per drill hole) makes it a costly approach to delineating the horizontal extent of the soil contamination, in the subsurface. Of equal, and perhaps of more concern, from a worker safety point of view, is that the use of a drill rig is frequently excluded from many industrial sites due to limited access and the presence of underground utility and process lines.

To overcome the economic and practical limitations associated with the drilling/sampling technology, investigators have used various approaches which include geophysical techniques and active measurement, on the ground surface, of the hydrocarbon vapours which emanate from the subsurface contamination. The experience of C5 Plus and many other environmental specialists has been that, while useful in many industrial site investigations, these techniques are often limited by physical variables, such as low hydrocarbon volatility and underground piping. Moreover, they do not provide information concerning the specific chemical composition of the subsurface contamination.

The VASH technique for delineation of subsurface hydrocarbon contamination is an innovation which allows horizontal contouring of the underground contamination and the precise detection of the presence of volatile and semi volatile "Priority Pollutants". It offers a factor of 10 cost saving to the site owner and is well suited to sites with restricted access due to either physical conditions, such as underground lines, or operating constraints. It is designed so that any further investigation, of the contaminated site subsurface, can be optimized. The devices are very easy to install and can be done by the site owner, without the need for off-site environmental specialists.

How VASH works

The VASH technique has been developed from knowledge and experience with a number of expertises including - organic chemistry, physical chemistry, adsorption techniques, analytical chemistry, geotechnical engineering and computerized data handling / contouring techiques. It is a technology for the cost effective screening of the underground environment for the presence of volatile and semi-volatile hydrocarbon contaminants, in the C5 to C15+ range. It is also effective for detecting and following bioremediation activity.

The technique consists of specially designed sensing modules which are placed into the ground and are capable of accumulating vapours emanating from the subsurface contamination.

VASH samplers are installed in the shallow subsurface, using strict quality control procedures which are explained to the user. They can be installed rapidly. Depending on the time of year and site conditions, they are typically left in place for 7 to 14 days.

Following the sampling period, the VASH samplers are returned to C5 Plus Ltd., along with a site sample location plan. Using the latest in high resolution, high precision Gas Chromatography (GC) and Mass Spectrometry (MS), the collection of volatile and semi volatile hydrocarbon contaminants, including "Priority Pollutants", are individually identified and quantified.

Provision of the field location of each VASH sampler allows C5 Plus Ltd. to prepare contaminant contour maps, using the latest in computer graphic techniques. A series of contour maps are usually prepared which show the apparent extent of individual compounds (e.g. benzene, acetone, carbon tetrachloride, hexane) or groups of compounds (e.g. chlorinated hydrocarbons, BTEX, gasoline, diesel fuel).

Case Histories:
(In 2006, the technology was modified and the name was changed from TASC to VASH.)

C5 Plus Ltd. has been successfully providing this technology for several years. For more information please contact us via e-mail or at our Calgary office - Telephone: 403-215-0040; Fax: 403-294-0959.