AMTS
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over 1.5 billion pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were manufactured in the United States before production ended in the late 1970's. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Scientific Specialists, Inc. (SSI) have developed and patented a technology to extract and destroy PCBs (via reductive dechlorination) in various media through application directly to the contaminated materials.
TEA was the first NASA licensee (2009) for the Activated Metal Treatment System (AMTS) technology. Subsequently, TEA, Inc. has worked very closely with the researchers at SSI to evaluate the efficacy and implementability of AMTS for various PCB contaminated media. The AMTS paste consists of an activated metal within a solvent system and a thickening agent. NASA and SSI initially developed AMTS in order to remediate PCBs from industrial grade paints without requiring the removal of the paint. Work is ongoing to develop additional formulations of this technology to facilitate implementation beyond painted surfaces. At present TEA, Inc./SSI has successfully sequestered and destroyed PCBs from concrete, soils, caulk, and sludge materials using variations of the AMTS technology.
The AMTS technology provides a highly effective, adaptable, green and sustainable solution to a challenging remediation issue.
Applications:
- Painted surfaces (e.g. buildings, windows, doors, caulks)
- Electrical equipment
- PCB contaminated debris
- Concrete surfaces contaminated with PCB oils
- Caulks and other adhesives
- Soils and sludge
Advantages:
- Laboratory and field-scale tests have demonstrated the removal of > 94% of total PCBs from various industrial paints within 3 weeks
- Removes and destroys PCBs from media without creating a hazardous waste
- Allows for reuse or recycling of the structure/material being treated
- Safer and better for the environment than other alternatives
- Useful in a variety of applications
- In-situ or ex-situ.