TRC Companies, Inc., has been awarded a new patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office to support additional features in its cap design that prevents releases of liquid coal tar, petroleum and other non-aqueous phase liquids at contaminated sediment sites.
TRC now holds two patents for cap designs that allow for the management of gas and contaminant releases at sediment sites. Three full-scale applications of this design have already been constructed for TRC’s utility clients. The cap is currently being used at a site in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the Huron River, at a site in Bangor, Maine, on the Penobscot River, and at a site in Ripon, Wisconsin, on Silver Creek. The company’s first patent for cap design was awarded in June, 2013.
The new patent allows for additional flexibility to accommodate a variety of site geometries and provide treatment of both NAPL and dissolved-phase impacts.
From the late 1800s to the mid-1900s, manufactured gas plants (MGP) across the US supplied homes and industry with fuel for heating, cooking, and lighting. The process to create the fuel at the industrial plants resulted in the release of residues including tar, sludge, oils and other wastes. Although many of the by-products were recycled, excess residues remain at thousands of MGP sites, the company says. Chris Vincze, president and CEO of TRC, says that contamination is a significant issue nationwide and that the company’s solution helps reduce client costs, protect the public health, and preserve the environment.
TRC is a national engineering, consulting and construction management firm that provides integrated services to the energy, environmental and infrastructure markets.