The Last Three Generations löur Lab Has Three Weeks O U R TESTING H A S T O BE D O N E QUICKLY. A N D ACCURATELY. A N D IT H A S T O BE RIGHT THE
FIRST TIME. /# — Dan Vollmer
^ ^ ^ V a n Vollmer is the lab ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ d i r e c t o r for Waste , Stream Technology in Buffalo New York. Vollmer and his team support Waste Stream's remediag tion operation by performin critical point-in-time analysis on soil samples from prospective remediation projects. Old industrial sites and landfills contaminated by crude oil, coal tar, benzene, and other volatile aromatics. Waste that has been buried — and often reburied — for decades. "When we remediate a site, we don't just haul it away," Vollmer says. "We elim inate it. And the method we
use means that we just can't afford downtime. Ever." Testing is done with PerkinElmer gas chromatographs. Waste Stream performs the remediation by spraying the site with bacteria which use the contaminant as their carbon source. The bacteria "eat" the contaminant. "But some 'bugs' work better than others," Vollmer explains. "So first, we do a treatability study. We introduce different bacteria to soil samples, and test the samples at seven-day intervals for three weeks. Then we compare those data to see what kind of degradation rates we're getting. Data handling is the crux of the matter." Data handling is done with a PE Nelson data station. In a sample treated with bacteria, the contaminant concentration changes constantly.
Testing complex soil samplesfor aromatic hydrocarbons contributes to a heavy sample schedule.
Timing is critical. You can't stop the bugs.
Have BiiriedThe Problem. To Uncover The Solution. }\eliable, accurate instruments; c o m p l e t e data handling integration; unparalleled service and support; Perkin-Elmer supplies environmental labs with everything they n e e d for everything they d o . O u r test results not only have to be right," Vollmer says. ' T h e y have to be right — right now. So it's important that o u r instruments are u p and r u n n i n g . And that we have a quick response to any problems." T h e lab relies on PerkinElmer service. Chromatography, spectroscopy, elemental analysis. Instruments, data handling, service. Perkin-Elmer a n d PE Nelson supply environmental chemists a r o u n d the world with everything they need for everything they do.
RKIN A protective suit is needed when collecting potentially toxic soil samples.
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methodologies required by the EPA to deadlines imposed by hungry bacteria. Perkin-Elmer provides solutions to environmental problems through total integration. *r.s.«»niy FOR LITERATURE CALL:
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