Case Study: Brownfield Redevelopment for a Large Capital Project in the Marcellus Shale Gas Region

 

This case study presents lessons learned while the authors overcame significant challenges associated with redeveloping contaminated property in order to construct a large capital project in the Marcellus Shale Gas Region. Shell signed a land-option agreement to potentially build a cracker plant along the Ohio River in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. The proposed complex will be an ethane cracker that would utilize locally produced natural gas from the Marcellus Shale production and convert ethane, a byproduct of the natural gas production, into chemicals to make a range of plastic products. The agreement was with an entity that operated the largest electrothermic zinc smelter in North America. Smelting and refining of lead and zinc was conducted at the property since 1930 resulting in environmental impacts. Smelting generates sludge from the treatment of process wastewater and/or acid plant blowdown (wastestream K066).  In addition, the site had large areas covered by smelter slag, the vitreous mass left as a residue by the smelting of metallic ore, since it was used as fill in order to bring areas to grade.  Slag generated during primary pyrometallurgical process is exempt from regulation as a hazardous waste under RCRA.  Slag resulting from secondary processing is not automatically exempt.  The property had an unlined brick landfill that contained used furnace brick and discarded refractory ceramic material used in lining furnaces, kilns, fireboxes or fireplaces.