Remediation of spilled petroleum hydrocarbons by in situ landfarming at an arctic site

A simple, economical landfarming operation was implemented to treat 3600 m3 of soil at a site just northeast of Barrow, AK (latitude 71.3°N). Prior to landfarming, diesel-range organics (DRO) and trimethylbenzenes (TMB) were present in the soil at concentrations more than an order of magnitude greater than the established cleanup goals, and moderate levels of gasoline-range organics (GRO) and BTEX compounds were also present. The landfarming operation included application of a commercial fertilizer mix at a rate designed to approach, but not exceed, soil concentrations of 100 mg N/kg soil and 50 mg P/kg soil, and an aggressive schedule of soil tilling using heavy equipment that was readily available from a local source. The operation was designed to continue through the brief thaw season—a scheduled duration of 70 days—but was successfully completed more than 2 weeks ahead of schedule. This work demonstrates that even in extremely harsh climates, soils that are moderately contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons can be effectively and economically remediated within reasonable time frames via landfarming.