used simply to build the costliest facilities, even though less costly, more effective alternatives were often available." Langerman believes that communities should seek inexpensive and environmentally safe wastewater disposal means, rather than depending on "free" federal matching funds. He also says that sludge could be a "valuable commercial resource" as sod, fertilizer, and asphalt substitutes, for example.
TECHNOLOGY Solar energy and biomass resource assessment would be enhanced by remote sensing, according to the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI, Golden, Colo.)· The use of imagery from satellites or aircraft could give a "boost" to long-range world renewable resource planning. One application of remote sensing would be to provide input to develop computer models for generating estimates of solar radiation resources in various areas of the world, as was done recently for Morocco. Another is the synoptic and timely evaluation of the earth's standing biomass crop. Information on photosynthetic biomass-producing activity, the actual standing crop, and the available proportion would be computerized and then assessed. A continuous monitoring system for trace hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in ambient air at sewage treatment facilities has been developed by Houston Atlas, Inc. (Houston, Tex.). Known as the Model 825R, it employs a patented lead acetate method to perform an analysis in less than 3 min, with an accuracy of ±2%. The method is specific to H2S and uses procedures and specifications set forth in ASTM Method D-4084-82. H 2 S can be sensed as low as 50 ppb, and warning of changes in H2S levels can be given. Removing poly chlorinated biphcny Is (PCBs) from waste oil might be done by solvent extraction, according to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). First, dimethyl formamide (DMF) would be used
to free the PCBs from the oil. Next, water would free the PCBs from the DMF and concentrate the PCBs, which could then be removed for proper disposal. Finally, the solvent would be purified by distillation and recycled, and the PCB-free oil would be available for reuse. ORNL says that the system can be reduced in size to make it portable for field use and usable with any water compatible with the DMF solvent. John Googin, John Napier, and Michael Travaglini helped to develop the system.
Real business expenditures for pollution abatement and control (PAC) declined in 1980-81, whereas they had increased by about 5>/2% per year during 1972-79, Gary Rutledge and Susan LeaseTrevathan of the U.S. Department of Commerce estimate. "Real" refers to constant-value dollars. The 1981 PAC spending decrease (1972 dollar values) was about $300 million, ascribable mainly to a water PAC spending decrease of $ 1.4 billion (12'/2%). Air PAC outlays went up by $900 million (7'/2%) that year, while solid waste disposal spending increased $200 million or 4%. PAC spending continued its slide in 1982. According to the limited information available this year, the decrease in real terms was greater than that in 1981.
INDUSTRY To remove chemicals from groundwater, Aerojet General (Sacramento, Calif.) has proposed to the state of California a program by which groundwater would first be drawn to the surface. It would then be treated, principally for trichloroethylene (TCE); cleaned water would be returned to the aquifer. Underground hydraulic barriers would confine water to Aerojet ' property so that it can be captured and drawn up for treatment. Other chemicals to be removed are Freon113, T-l,2-dichloroethylene, and tetrachloroethylene. Recharging the aquifer with clean water will confine untreated water to the property. This month, a 1.7-mgd system is to start up. Profit in sewage? Possibly, were it not for a "confusing mix" of federal laws and regulations, says environmental policy analyst Paul Langerman for the Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.). "Until recently," he notes, "federal funds were
Duffy: heads nuclear waste division A new division for nuclear waste management has been formed by Westinghouse Electric Corporation (Pittsburgh, Pa.), and will be headed up by Leo Duffy. The division was created in view of the company's recent entry into the low-level nuclear waste business and because of what Westinghouse sees as new opportunities created by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. The division will handle low-level and high-level wastes and spent fuel, and engage in activities associated with facility decommissioning and decontamination and spent fuel reprocessing. Environ. Sci. Technol., Vol. 17, No. 6, 1983
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