COMPUTER METHODOLOGY FOR TRANSPORTATION AGENCIES TO SCREEN TECHNOLOGIES FOR HAZARDOUS WASTE REMEDIATION

Many pathways exist for transportation agenices and other public and private agencies to become responsible for sites contaminated by hazardous wastes. As a result agencies frequently face a multitude of legal, regulatory, financial, technical, and health risk problems. When transportation agencies become involved in the remediation of hazardous waste sites, the common practice is to hire consultants and contractors for the clean up process. Because the field of hazardous waste site remediation is changing so rapidly, agency personnel evaluating the consultant's recommendations need to have access to the most recent regulatory and remediation information. Early stages of the remediation process typically involve site assessment, and the identification of feasible technologies for treatment. The objective of this study was to develop a user friendly computerized methodology for screening out the most inappropriate treatment technologies for a specific waste at a specific site. The Soil Treatment Evaluation Program (STEP) model was developed for this purpose using knowledge-base expert system techniques. Object oriented programming was used to interface multiple rule-bases, databases, and a simulation model. The STEP model was applied to a case study involving the spillage of 27,000 gallons of JP-4 jet fuel, due to the failure of an automatic shut-off valve, at an air facility. The recommendations produced by the model agreed with the actual remedial action taken at the site. STEP is a prototype model that, if developed to its potential, could be used to promote nation-wide consistency, provide the framework for building a shared base of knowledge about successful and unsuccessful solution techniques, allow non-experts to do preliminary screening of appropriate technologies, and provide a training tool for in-house personnel. This report is organized in five chapters. Chapter 1 presents the literature reviewed pertinent to expert-system hazardous waste applications for transportation agencies. It includes a brief description of the treatment technologies that are incorporated in the screening process by the STEP prototype. Chapter 2 describes the STEP methodology and the computer implementation. Chapter 3 describes the application of the STEP methodology to the case study described above. Chapter 4 is comprised of the summary and conclusions followed by references in Chapter 5. The appendices contain the bibliography and the rule-base files used for the prototype model.

• Record URL:
  https://www.ugpti.org/resources/reports/details.php?id=337
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Mountain-Plains Consortium

  North Dakota State University
  Fargo, ND  United States  58108
• Authors:
  • Grenney, W J
  • Penmetsa, R K
• Publication Date: 1995-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 108 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Case studies; Chemical spills; Contaminants; Decision support systems; Expert systems; Guides to the literature; Hazardous wastes; Literature reviews; Location; Prototypes; Simulation; Soil stabilization
• Uncontrolled Terms: Building sites; Contamination; Remediation; Soil treatment
• Old TRIS Terms: Treatments
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Bridges and other structures; Environment; Geotechnology; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Railroads; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00633263
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: MPC-95-50
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 4 1993 12:00AM