WATER REMEDIATION

What is stormwater runoff?Stormwater runoff is rain that falls on streets, parking areas, sports fields, gravel lots, rooftops, or other developed land and flows directly into nearby lakes, rivers, and oceans. The rain picks up and mixes with what’s on the ground – a potentially toxic mix made up of oil, fertilizers and pesticides, bacteria from pet waste and failing septic systems, chemically-infused soil, and heavy metals, including lead, copper, zinc, and cadmium.

In all, about 14 million pounds of dangerous pollutants wash into Puget Sound each year.* That toxic cocktail is a threat to our drinking water and marine wildlife, both in the Puget Sound area and around the world.

How it affects salmon and aquatic lifeHeavy metals in stormwater runoff are especially perilous for salmon and aquatic life. Lead, zinc, cadmium, and mercury contaminate both surface and ground waters, and concentrate in sediments at the bottom.

One study estimates that copper kills a high percentage of healthy Coho salmon in Seattle-area creeks within hours, before they’re even able to spawn.** The bottom line: less than half of all salmon and steelhead stocks in Puget Sound are considered healthy, and two species of salmon and bull trout are threatened with extinction, in large part because of the pollution carried by stormwater runoff.

How WI Environmental’s process treats Stormwater RunoffWI Environmental’s XR-88^TM system is housed in a self-contained unit installed onsite, designed to catch storm water runoff, moving it through the unit and combining with XR-88^TM to turn heavy metals, such as copper, lead and zinc in the runoff, into safe, non-toxic waste for easy disposal.

WI Environmental's XR-88^TM Portable Water Remediation Systemsare available.   See here for more info --

*/**Source: WA Department of Ecology

LAND AND SOIL REMEDIATION

What is Acid Mine Drainage?Acid mine drainage is the flow of acidic water from metal mines or coal mines, posing one of mining’s most serious threats to water. A mine that drains acid can devastate rivers, streams, and aquatic life for hundreds, even thousands of years.

How large is the problem in the Pacific Northwest?Many of the 3,800 abandoned mines* in the state of Washington have acid drainage problems. And there are as many as 500,000 such mines in the United States.** Mining often occurs below the water table, so water must be constantly pumped out of the mine in order to prevent flooding. When the water comes in contact with sulfur-bearing minerals in the metal or coal being mined, and is exposed to air, the resulting chemical reaction turns the water into sulfuric acid. This same chemical reaction can occur above ground, too.

Dangerous Metals dischargedBecause the acid can be strong enough to dissolve potentially toxic metals in the surrounding rock, many acid mine discharges also contain dangerous levels of nickel and copper, along with lead, cadmium, zinc, and chromium.

This combination of acid and heavy metals is pure poison to the fish, animals, and plants in the waterways it contaminates, even polluting our drinking water

How WI Environmental’s Process Remediates AMDWI Environmental’s XR-88^TM system can be used in a portable system moved onsite, designed to treat contaminated mine water. That water then moves through the unit and is combined with XR-88^TM to turn heavy metals, such as copper, lead and zinc in the runoff, into safe, non-toxic waste for easy disposal.

WI Environmental's XR-88^TM Portable Soil and Sludge Remediation Systems are available. Systems are completely self contained and ready for use and come with all the needed diagrams and operation manuals, along WI Environmental technical support if needed. Systems can treat 50 to 350 U.S. tons of soil or sludge per hour.

*Washington Department of Natural Resources
**Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management

AIR QUALITY

Carbon Dioxide and Dangers of Air Emissions from coal-fired plantsCarbon dioxide (CO₂) is one of the so-called “greenhouse gases” – absorbing heat in the atmosphere, and sending some of that absorbed heat back to the earth’s surface. Its presence in the atmosphere has increased ten-fold in the past 150 years.

Where emissions come fromIt’s estimated 70-75% of carbon dioxide emissions come from burning fossil fuels, particularly coal. The 1,500 coal-fired power plants in the United States release more than 1.9 billion tons of carbon dioxide every year.* 12 million tons of that came from Washington state’s lone coal-fired generating station, the Centralia Power Plant, just in 2006 alone.**

The dangers emissions poseWith so much CO₂ being released into the atmosphere, scientists predict this “global warming” could cause increased environmental problems. And because CO₂ has an atmospheric lifetime of between 50 and 200 years, today’s emissions could cause global warming for up to two centuries to come.

How WI Environmental’s Remediation process works to clean the airWI Environmental’s worldwide patented ‘Exhaust Remediation System’ works in conjunction with its chemical XR-88^TM. Tests show the system removes 92% of CO₂ and 100% of other emissions. Mercury is the exception. The XR-88^TM chemical can be reused a number of times in the ‘Exhaust Remediation System’ process. When depleted, it can be used for other purposes including drywall, building materials or converted to organic fertilizer. The process produces a near zero carbon footprint.

*Source: U.S. Department of Energy
**Source: Energy Information Administration
***Source: Clear the Air, a coalition that includes the National Environmental Trust,
the Public Interest Research Group and the Clean Air Task Force

COAL ASH FROM POWER PLANTS

Coal ash is a by-product generated from the combustion of coal, primarily from power generation plants around the world. Coal ash, depending on the specific coal bed makeup, can contain toxic constituents in varying amounts that include arsenic, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead, mercury, strontium, along with dioxins, to name a few. In itself, current methods of use and storage of coal ash contributes to land, water, and air contamination with toxic substances.

While some coal ash, even though still toxic, is reused for such purposes as concrete production, gypsum board, road bank filler, road ice control, and a variety of household items, 65% of the worlds coal ash produced is stored in landfills and ash ponds. This allows for the leaching of toxic substances into the soil and water table that further permeates into the surrounding waterways and is carried into our environment like an inverted tree, starting at one point and branching throughout the entire root system. Unless methods are used to keep the mountains of coal ash that has built up wet, the substances are carried by the wind to the surrounding environment. Either by land, water or air, these toxic substances are now and will further contaminate in an exponential disbursement our environment on which are communities survive. A prime example of the failure of this type of system was in 2008 in Tennessee when a coal ash dam burst dumping 1.1 billion gallons of toxic coal ash slurry into the Emory River and surrounding communities

WI Environmental Remediation process with XR-88^TM is a solution to the whole problem of coal ash contamination. The process can be used to clean up the existing mountains of coal ash that have been generated, clean up the subsequent acid mine drainage that has been created, and be used to capture and remediate newly generated coal ash from powerplants. In this way coal ash can be reused or stored in a non-toxic way.

XR-88^TM turns coal ash and acid mine drainage inert and benign, so it is safe to humanity and other forms of life, including aquatic life and the food they eat. XR-88^TM has passed all U.S. EPA test including the TCLP test for leachability. (see Product Testing)

Within the U.S. the subject of coal ash has been an debated issue currently as the EPA is considering classifying coal ash as a hazardous material or solid waste, subjecting coal ash to rules for handling and disposal/recycling. Opposition to this EPA classification wants jurisdiction for coal ash disposal left to the individual states to where they could treat coal ash the same as municipal garbage to be disposed in contained landfills. WI Environmental has firsthand seen hexavalent chromium leach through six foot concrete barriers and therefore knows that the proposed contained landfills will not work. At the center of the debate is the issue of increased industry cost, increase end-user cost and lost jobs. WI Environmental Remediation process with XR-88^TM is an affordable remediation solution to toxic coal ash contamination, a solution that WI Environmental believes will create jobs. Do nothing and then the cost will be our environment.