Evaluating Groundwater Pollution Susceptibility of Dust Suppressants and Roadbed Stabilizers: Case Study of a Petroleum-Based Product

Current environmental regulations have prompted regulatory officials, users, and manufacturers of roadbed stabilizers and dust suppressants to evaluate the environmental impact of these products to ensure that human health and the environment are not compromised through their use. Because roadbed stabilizers and dust suppressants are inherently designed to prevent dust emissions and erosion, this study focuses on evaluating the groundwater pollution susceptibility of roadbed stabilizers and dust suppressants. Current techniques used in evaluating hazardous waste sites to estimate the fate and transport of constituents in the subsurface are useful for evaluating roadbed stabilizers and dust suppressants. Chemical properties of roadbed stabilizers and dust suppressants along with generic soil property parameters can be incorporated into screening-level mathematical models to estimate constituent target-level concentrations in groundwater. These techniques were applied to a petroleum-based soil stabilizer and dust suppressant known as Pennz-Suppress D (petroleum-based product). The content of Environmental Protection Agency priority pollutants was determined by laboratory analysis. Further testing with leachate extraction methods provided additional data on leachability of the petroleum-based products under assumed worst-case conditions. Mathematical modeling was used to qualify the results. Groundwater pollution susceptibility results indicate a low risk for the product to adversely affect groundwater.