Bioremediation of Waste Oil on Railroad Tracks

WASTE OIL SPILL PROBLEM

A waste oil recycler tanker spilled an estimated 600 gallons of waste oil that flowed through a storm drain and onto two main line tracks covering 140 ft of drainage ditch and 60 ft of track.  

WASTE OIL BIOREMEDIATION SOLUTION

Regulatory/railroad cleanup criteria required no oil migration off the railroad ROW and no sheens in stormwater runoff.  Six (6) cubic yards of oil saturated gravel/soil were excavated from the stormsewer outfall and ditch adjacent to the tracks.  A poly sorbent/straw filtration/ containment system was installed in the drainage ditch.  A leachate collection system was installed between the tracks that consisted of seventy (70) ft x 6” diameter HPDE drain pipe (terminating in a 20-gallon sump).  A second leachate collection system was installed in the drainage ditch next to the bank.

Six (6) HC-2000 applications were made during a 4 month period. Leachate collection and filtration system maintenance & monitoring continued for an additional 8 month period until sheens in stormwater runoff and oil collection in the leachate collection systems dissipated.

WASTE OIL BIOREMEDIATION COST/BENEFITS

Cost savings to the railroad on this project were:  Ballast removal/replacement estimate was $100,000 plus track service interruptions for 25 to 75 trains/day or an estimated $250,000/day.