QROS can provide a wide range of on site analysis methods, together with staff who are trained in their use and in on site procedures. Soil and water samples can be analysed for the following parameters:
Heavy metals
Free Cyanides
Ammonia/Ammonium
pH
General Toxicity
Petroleum Hydrocarbons (GRO, DRO and Mineral oils)
Total BTEX
Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Poly Chlorinated Biphenyls
Phenols
As part of the service, where the technique allows, all raw data, instrument traces and QC data from the on site analysis will be presented to the client in a report.
New methods are always under development and QROS can develop specific methods for a project if required.
This is usually faster than quantitative analysis. The results generated will indicate if a sample is above or below a given concentration. For results within 20% of that concentration, the correlation with laboratory analysis on that sample will be good. Above this value, the results are more qualitative and will only indicate if the sample is more (or less) or much more (or less) than the set limit. For remediation work this is often all that is needed to manage the project.
For projects that have more than one action concentration, most of the analysis systems can be set to take this into account and give accurate results at both action concentrations. This may require 2 analyses of the sample however.
QROS can assist clients with developing a sampling plan that includes on site analysis. Effective integration will maximise the benefits of on site analysis and reduce the overall project costs.
Contrary to popular belief, not all analysis carried out during contaminated land projects must be to the MCERTS standard. MCERTS data is only needed to verify the effectiveness of the remediation or SI. On-site analysis used to manage the remediation or SI does not have to be to MCERTS protocols, but it does have to be fit for purpose.
All the on site methods used by QROS have been verified by either the US EPA Environmental Technology Verification program, or are standard laboratory methods adapted to on site use. This gives confidence that the data generated is of an acceptable quality, accuracy and precision for the effective management of the remediation or SI..
For the ultimate in verification, samples sent to and analysed using MCERTS methods by the QROS linked laboratory will be re-analysed by the on site method and the data used to calibrate the on site results to the laboratory results. The number of samples sent for laboratory analysis to verify if a remediation or SI has been carried out to plan may however be smaller than for projects not using on site analysis. One of the many advantages of using on site analysis is that the samples sent for MCERTS analysis are unlikely to come back with unexpected results.
The Environment Agency is very happy to accept on site results as part of the data package, provided an appropriate number of MCERTS quality results are also supplied. The EA or LA can suggest how many MCERTS samples are needed to meet their verification requirements. This may be as low as a sample every 250 cubic metres of soil, with on site data filling in the data gaps.
Why use on-site analysis?
MCERTS and on-site analysis
Why should contractors use
on-site analysis?
Why should landowners insist on on-site analysis?
What is screening analysis?
What is quantitative analysis?
How can on-site analysis be integrated into the sampling plan?
Can on site analysis be cost effective for small as well as large projects?
On-site analysis can really cut the project costs for even small remediations or SIs. A small site has no space to stockpile potentially contaminated soil, so the worst case is usually assumed and the soil assumed to be hazardous or contaminated. With disposal costs running at up to £500 per lorry load for polluted soil and £3,000 per lorry for hazardous waste, it pays to check each lorry load as it goes off site. It takes around 5 -15 minutes to excavate a lorry load of soil, so real time results provided by on site analysis is the only way to effectively classify soil into clean, polluted or hazardous
This will usually take longer to run, as the sample may need to be analysed several times before the correct concentration range is selected. Quantitative analysis in the field does have limitations, usually due to the sample preparation methods used. For techniques that require the pollutant to be extracted from the sample, very high concentrations of pollutant in the sample may not be fully extracted. This is because field analysis tries to minimise the use of aggressive chemicals and the use of heating. The concentration that can cause this effect is always above the hazardous waste levels, so samples will still be correctly classified. To increase the accuracy of the quantitative analysis, QROS recommends a pre project verification of the selected on site techniques using a MCERTS analytical laboratory.
Go to the University of Sussex Research Depts paper on the cost implications due to uncertainty in analytical data
The US EPA has long recognised that on site analysis during SI and remediations is very cost effective.
Download their report here
What the EA says