Throughout its existence, NASA has always been known
for its roles in launching space vehicles
and conducting missions in space.
In addition to these highly visible roles,
one of NASA’s other responsibilities
is the development of new technologies that help
make these launches and space missions possible.
Although primarily intended for space applications,
many of these NASA-developed technologies have also proven
very useful in fulfilling needs
and solving problems here on Earth.
This video provides information about two environmental
remediation technologies developed by scientists
at NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center.
The first technology, Emulsified Zero Valent Iron,
was developed to help clean up sites where groundwater
has been contaminated with dense nonaqueous phase liquids.
The second technology, Activated Metal Treatment System,
was developed to remove polychlorinated biphenyls (or PCBs)
from aging paint found on or in many structures
in the United States.
During the 1960s all eyes were focused above
at Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 34
where a giant Saturn rocket stood prepared to roar aloft.
During this astounding accomplishment
of landing man on the moon,
we, here on Earth, unknowingly created a long-term
environmental impact by dumping chemicals directly
into the soil, which adversely affected the ecosystem.
With the establishment of the Environmental Protection
Agency in 1970,
the US government was on course to identify, store,
and dispose of harmful chemicals that in turn would lead
to the preservation and proliferation of wildlife.
Many cleaning solvents were used in the early '60s and '70s,
by a variety of businesses.
These solvents were used by dry cleaners,
printing presses,
and, in NASA’s case, to degrease rocket components.
These solvents had wonderful chemical properties
for cleaning purposes, but were discovered to be toxic
to the environment and human health
if inappropriately handled.
Even though the EPA has rigorous enforcement in place now,
the impact of these “wonder” solvents
still remain today in our soil and waterways,
posing a potential risk to our children and wildlife.
NASA’s Emulsified Zero Valent Iron or EZVI
is a new technique for safe and effective clean up
of groundwater contamination.
EZVI is an emulsion made from vegetable oil
and iron particles that are held together
using food-grade surfactant.
When injected into the ground where contamination is found,
the emulsion engulfs the contaminant
and breaks it down so that it is no longer toxic.
EZVI has been implemented at a number of sites,
both private and government-owned, with great success.
In fact, in 2009,
EZVI was used in Europe and in Asia as well.
One site where EZVI was deployed
was on the EPA’s national priority list for over a decade
and has subsequently been taken off the list
after the deployment of EZVI.
Activated Metal Treatment System
Another new NASA technology.
AMTS is a thickened, solvent paste
containing small reactive metal particles
that will remove and degrade polychlorinated biphenyls
or PCBs from a number of different materials
in which they have either been placed or
with which they have come in contact.
PCBs were used on a large scale as early as the 1920s
because of their amazing chemical stability,
resistance to heat, and a low flammability.
PCBs were commonly used in
electrical equipment,
circuit breakers,
hydraulic systems,
commercial grade paint, caulking, and adhesives
and additives in lubricating oils.
PCBs have been associated with a variety of health effects
on the immune system,
reproductive system,
nervous system,
and are known to cause cancer in animals.
AMTS can be sprayed or spread onto
PCB-contaminated surfaces or circulated through equipment
containing PCB-contaminated fluid
to remove the PCBs.
The structure or equipment can then either be reused
or disposed of using conventional disposal practices.
When applied to a surface, the AMTS paste can either be
removed so the surface can reused or left in place
if the surface will be undergoing disposal.
When circulated through equipment,
the remediated fluid will be disposed of using
appropriate disposal methods.
This results in less PCBs entering the environment.
PCBs are a man-made chemical that were used in the past
for a wide variety of applications.
They have some great characteristics such as
heat and chemical stability, anti-fungal properties,
and use as a flame-retardant.
These same properties that made them so useful
are what make them a problem today.
Once they get released into the environment
we have a very difficult time getting them back out.
Older buildings were often painted with PCB- containing paints.
Current options include removing the paint,
which is labor intensive, or demolishing the whole structure.
Both of these options create large amounts
of hazardous waste which are costly to dispose of.
A way to treat the PCB problem that would not damage the
contaminated structures and not create additional
hazardous waste was needed.
Activate Metal Treatment System, or AMTS
was developed to provide an environmentally friendly
technology capable of destroying PCBs.
It is a paste-like system which is applied directly to the
PCB-contaminated surface.
Over a period of time, AMTS can remove and destroy
the PCBs while leaving the structure intact for future use.
The application time can be lengthened or additional
applications can be used for highly contaminated sites.
The consistency of AMTS allows it to be applied to different
surfaces, irregular shapes, or vertical walls.
The final result is a clean structure and no PCB waste
to be disposed of.
The technology behind AMTS is currently
being investigated for use in destroying PCBs
in sediment systems, which is another big problem
currently found in the environment.
NASA isn’t just concerned about reaching the stars,
but we are also focused on protecting
the Earth’s environment for our children and all of mankind.