Sponsor
Technology
Description
(10 points)
AASHTO Innovation Initiative
Nomination of Technology Ready for Implementation
Nominations must
1. Sponsoring DOT (State): North Carolina
be submitted by an
2. Name and Title: Cyrus Parker,GeoEnvironmental Supervisor, Mohammed Mulla, Assistant State
AASHTO member
Geotechnical Engineer
DOT willing to help
Organization: Division of Highways, Geotechnical Engineering Unit
promote the
Street Address: 1589 Mail Service Center
technology
City: Raleigh
State: NC
Zipcode: 27699-1589
E-mail: cfparker@ncdot.gov
Phone: 919-707-6868
Fax: 919-250-4237
3. Is the sponsoring State DOT willing to promote this technology to other states by participating on a
Lead States Team supported by the AASHTO Innovation Initiative? Yes or No: Yes
The term
4. Name of Technology:
“technology” may
Ultra Violet Fluorescence for Detecting and Fingerprinting Petroleum Contamination
include processes,
5. Please describe the technology.
products,
This field analytical device uses ultraviolet light to fluoresce an extract from a soil sample to determine the
techniques,
parts per million of petroleum in the sample. This device is useful for the onsite assessment of sites with
procedures, and
known or perceived petroleum contamination. This system provides a product identification fingerprint. This
practices.
fingerprint enables the system to apply the correct calibration standards for accurate quantitation. It enables
one to determine the type of product (fresh or Weathered) gasoline, diesel, waste oil, etc.
6. If appropriate, please attach photographs, diagrams, or other images illustrating the appearance or
functionality of the technology. (If electronic, please provide a separate file.) Please list your
attachments here.
UVF Project Report
UVF PowerPoint Presentation
State of
Development
(30 points)
Technologies must
be successfully
deployed in at least
one State DOT.
The AII selection
process will favor
technologies that
have advanced
beyond the
research stage, at
least to the pilot
deployment stage,
and preferably into
routine use.
7. Briefly describe the history of its development.
The Department wanted a more cost effective method to quickly analyze samples in the field to determine if
petroleum contamination was present above the regulatory limit. A vendor indicated they had developed a
device to detect petroleum in the field by using ultra violet light. The system was developed to provide
accurate quantitation and identification of petroleum products released into the environmental and perform in
conjunction with existing regulatory methods. Approximately 2 years ago, NCDENR included the method as
acceptable for all investigation and removal activities of Petroleum in lieu of SW846- 8015 in soils.
8. For how long and in approximately how many applications has your State DOT used this technology?
12 months and a couple of hundred samples have been analyzed.
9. What additional development is necessary to enable routine deployment of the technology?
None
10. Have other organizations used this technology? Yes or No: YES If so, please list organization names
and contacts.
Organization
Name
Phone
E-mail
NC Department of
Karen Harmon
919-707-8269
karen.harmon@ncdenr.gov
Environment and Natural
Resources
Duke Energy
Jay Perkins
704-796-6598
jay.perkins@dukeenergy.com
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AASHTO Innovation Initiative
Nomination of Technology Ready for Implementation
ExxonMobil
Paul Goodell
919-741-0870
Potential
Payoff
(30 points)
Payoff is defined
as the combination
of broad
applicability and
significant benefit
or advantage over
other currently
available
technologies.
paul.goodell@arcadisus.com
Sampson Bladen Oil
Cameron Hatcher
(910)596-4364
Cameron.hatcher@sampson
bladen.com
KB Labs
Kelly Bergdoll
352-472-5830
kellyb@kbmobilelabs.com
11. How does the technology meet customer or stakeholder needs in your State DOT or other
organizations that have used it?
The Department’s customers continue to receive the same quality data but at a quicker turnaround and a
lower cost. Savings are typically 50% or greater for laboratory costs. The US EPA Performance Based
Measurement System guidance encourages onsite data to be utilized for during investigation and
remediation activities. Onsite testing is expected to enhance the overall quality of the investigation and
cleanup.
12. What type and scale of benefits has your DOT realized from using this technology? Include cost
savings, safety improvements, transportation efficiency or effectiveness, environmental benefits, or any
other advantages over other existing technologies.
The Department compared the actual cost spent over an eighteen month period on the current method to
the cost if UVF had been utilized. The result would have been an almost fifty percent savings if UVF had
been used. A savings of six times the actual cost would have been realized if the traditional method had
been rushed to equal the forty-eight hour standard turnaround time of UVF.
Ten projects were selected to provide the comparison which resulted in seventy-four samples. Portions of
each of the seventy-four samples were analyzed by UVF and Method 8015. The sample portions were not
mixed to distribute the contamination equally before being analyzed. This mixing was not performed due to
contaminant volatilization that would have occurred before the analysis. This fact undoubtedly introduced
some error into the results in that the comparative samples may not have been equally contaminated.
Feedback was solicited from our engineering firms (Firms) to gauge their experience with UVF. The overall
result of the feedback was a satisfactory to good overall experience using UVF. The individuals with the
most experience using UVF recommended transitioning to UVF.
13. Please describe the potential extent of implementation in terms of geography, organization type
(including other branches of government and private industry) and size, or other relevant factors. How
broadly might the technology be deployed?
Some of our professional engineering firms have been using this technology over the past year, and based
on the results we suspect they will continue their use. Virginia DOT has expressed an interest in the
technology and other states, public, and private entities that are concerned about petroleum impacted soil
would have an interest in this technology.
Market
Readiness
(30 points)
The AII selection
process will favor
technologies that
can be adopted
with a reasonable
amount of effort
and cost,
commensurate with
the payoff
potential.
14. What actions would another organization need to take to adopt this technology?
Review regulatory requirements related to petroleum contamination. Coordinate with a vendor or a
consultant to rent or purchase the equipment.
15. What is the estimated cost, effort, and length of time required to deploy the technology in another
organization?
The vendor may require a certification class before renting the equipment. The certification is estimated to
be $500 per person. Once certification is obtained, the equipment can be rented on at a daily, weekly, or
monthly rate as negotiated with the vendor.
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AASHTO Innovation Initiative
Nomination of Technology Ready for Implementation
16. What resources—such as technical specifications, training materials, and user guides—are already
available to assist deployment?
Technical Procedures, Training Documents, and Service Documents are available
17. What organizations currently supply and provide technical support for the technology?
QROS, Portsmouth, England
QROS, Wilmington, North Carolina
18. Please describe any legal, environmental, social, intellectual property, or other barriers that might affect
ease of implementation.
Some state regulatory agencies may not accept the results from this equipment for some portion site
assessment or site closure. Equipment may not be for sale, only rental.
Submit Completed form to
http://web.transportation.org/tig_solicitation/Submit.aspx
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