An environmentally friendlier method of separating oil from tar sands has been developed by a team of researchers at Penn State. This method, which utilizes ionic liquids to separate the heavy viscous oil from sand, is also capable of cleaning oil spills from beaches and separating oil from drill cuttings, the solid particles that must be removed from drilling fluids in oil and gas wells.

EPA: Cleaning Up Our Land, Water and Air [pdf]
http://www.epa.gov/cleanup/

The Environmental Protection Agency has been cleaning up the nation’s land, water and air for four decades, and there’s still much work to be done. This homepage provides information about cleanups around the country, what citizens can do to help, and the EPA’s long-term stewardship programs. On the homepage, visitors can use a clickable map to learn about cleanup
information by EPA region or program. Moving on, visitors can also read about available cleanup grants and funding opportunities in different communities. The site also contains a glossary of EPA terms, and helpful
cleanup publications, such as newsletters, “FedFacs” newsletters, and waste management documents that cover Native American reservations. The site is
rounded out by an “Other Publications” area that covers brownfields and the latest work on Superfund sites. [KMG]

Bachelor kitchens are rarely known for their cleanliness. One reason is that bachelors can make a complete meal of condiments. Another is that when faced with a sudden spill, bachelors become instant innovators, grabbing anything within arms reach, whether paper towels, dirty socks or even cornstarch, to stem the flow of liquid.

In a sense, it’s not that different from the challenge recently faced by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) when they set out to find the proper mix of fluids needed to cap the powerful flow of oil that can occur during a spill, an objective that was principally driven by the failure of the top-kill method during last year’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

ARS microbiologist Pat Millner is developing a way to cap or seal old landfills with more environmentally sensitive vegetative caps — trees and shrubs planted in a mix of topsoil and compost — in place of conventional clay caps.

ESTCP is seeking innovative environmental technology demonstrations as candidates for funding.  This solicitation requests pre-proposals via Calls for Proposals to DoD organizations and Federal (Non-DoD) organizations, and via a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Private Sector organizations.  PRE-PROPOSALS ARE DUE BY TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2011.

Detailed instructions for DoD, Non-DoD Federal, and BAA proposers are available on the ESTCP web site:  http://www.serdp-estcp.org/Funding-Opportunities/ESTCP-Solicitations.

DoD organizations (Service and Defense Agencies) may submit pre-proposals for demonstrations of innovative environmental technologies in the following topic areas:

• Environmental Restoration — Technologies for the characterization, risk assessment, remediation, and management of contaminants in soil, sediments, and water.
• Munitions Response — Technologies for the detection, classification, and remediation of military munitions on U.S. lands and waters.
• Resource Conservation — Tools, technologies, and methodologies that advance DoD’s management of its natural and cultural resources.
• Weapons Systems and Platforms — Technologies to reduce, control, or eliminate the sources of wastes and emissions in the manufacturing, maintenance, and use of weapons systems and platforms.

The Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) and Non-DoD Federal Call for Proposals (CFP) are seeking pre-proposals for environmental technologies in the following topic areas only:

• Management of Contaminated Groundwater
• In Situ Management of Contaminated Sediments
• Military Munitions Detection, Classification, and Remediation
• Recovery of Threatened and Endangered and Sustainment of At-Risk Plant Species
• Inventory and Monitoring Technologies for Vertebrate Populations
• Environmentally Sustainable Energetic Materials and Manufacturing Processes

JOIN US!  ESTCP Director Dr. Jeffrey Marqusee will conduct an online seminar ESTCP Funding Opportunities on January 20, 2011, 12:00-1:00 p.m. EST.  This “How to play” briefing will offer valuable information for those interested in new ESTCP funding opportunities.  During the online seminar, participants may ask questions about the funding process, the current ESTCP solicitation, and the proposal submission process.  Pre-registration for this webinar is required.  To register, visit http://webinars.serdp-estcp.org/.

If you have any difficulties registering, please contact Jonathan Bunger in the ESTCP Program Office at jbunger@hgl.com or by telephone at 703-696-2126.

New Report Shows Brownfield Redevelopment in Cities Leads to More Jobs, Increased Tax Revenue (PDF)
Source: U.S. Conference of Mayors

The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) today unveiled a national brownfields report, entitled Recycling America’s Land: A National Report on Brownfields Redevelopment (1993 – 2010). This new report estimates the progress 99 cities have made over the past 17 years as it relates to the number of brownfields that have been redeveloped, acres of land reclaimed, new jobs that were created, and additional revenues that have been generated. The Conference of Mayors brought the issue of brownfields to the attention of Congress and the Administration back in 1993 and worked hand in hand with the Federal Government to establish a national brownfields program.

Brownfields, abandoned or underutilized properties where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by either real or perceived environmental contamination, present a major challenge to cities both large and small, primarily because of the lack of public and private sector resources that are necessary to redevelop these properties back into productive use.

This study is the ninth in a series of reports that have documented brownfields redevelopment by local communities throughout the United States and the potential revenue that could be generated. According to the study, fifty–four cities reported 161,880 new jobs created through the redevelopment of 2,118 sites with 64,730 jobs in the pre-development / remediation stage and 97,150 permanent jobs. Further, fifty cities said that since 1993, $309 million in additional local tax revenue was generated from 654 redeveloped brownfield sites. Significantly, 58 cities estimated if their brownfields were redeveloped, potential revenue could range from $872 million to $1.3 billion annually.

+ Full Report (PDF)
+ Best Practices (PDF)

This report is the second edition of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (US EPA’s) 2005 report and provides a high level summary of information on the applicability of existing and emerging noncombustion technologies for the remediation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in soil. Since the publication of this report in 2005, nine (9) additional chemicals have been listed in the Stockholm Convention; this brings the total number of chemicals currently listed as POPs under the Stockholm Convention to twenty-one (21). In addition, three (3) POPs are currently under consideration (September 2010, 103 pages).

Phytotechnologies are a set of techniques that make use of plants to achieve environmental goals. These techniques use plants to extract, degrade, contain, or immobilize pollutants in soil, groundwater, surface water, and other contaminated media. This fact sheet provides information that will help you evaluate whether phytotechnologies will work at your site, summarizes the applications of phytotechnologies for various contaminants, and includes links to additional sources of information (September 2010, 12 pages).