Soil column studies were performed on a chromium contaminated soil from the United Chrome Products Superfund Site currently undergoing a pump-and-treat cleanup process. The goal of the research was to provide insight into the feasibility of chemically changing the injection fluid of the pump-and-treat system to enhance hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) mobility. The parameters tested were pH, ionic strength, and competitive anion type and concentration. Ionic strength effects were investigated by adjusting the NaCl concentration of the extracting solution and by observing the influence of varying anion concentrations on desorption (bicarbonate, sulfate, and phosphate). The results indicated that high ionic strength solutions slow the rate of Cr(VI) desorption. This possibly indicates most of the Cr(VI) was in pore water solution and was adsorbing, slowing the removal process. Cr(VI) desorption was fastest for distilled water solution followed by competitive anion/distilled water solutions. The high ionic strength extracting solutions, 0.05 M and 0.10 M NaCl, had the slowest Cr(VI) desorption rates. Effluent pHs dropped as the ionic strength was increased (increasing NaCl concentrations) which was attributed to a Na-H exchange. Increased concentrations of bicarbonate, sulfate, and phosphate resulted in only small pH differences in the effluent of less than 0.5 pH units. The effect of pH was investigated by varying the pH of the 0.01 M NaCl solution with strong acid and base and by varying the pH of phosphate competitive anion solutions. The effects of changing 0.01 M NaCl solution pH were inconclusive. Differences between Cr(VI) desorption rates for the soil columns with adjusted influent pHs were small. Cr(VI) desorption curves and column effluent pH values for phosphate solutions of varying influent pH values were nearly identical, indicating that soil buffering and effluent pH are more important factors than influent pH in achieving Cr(VI) desorption. Nitrate, bicarbonate, sulfate, and phosphate were investigated to determine the effect of various competitive anions on Cr(VI) desorption. The effectiveness of each anion at extracting Cr(VI) from soil appeared to follow the order of adsorption affinity to the soil. / Graduation date: 1992

Graduation date: 1993