Success Stories: Brice

Through a unique partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, NJCAT in 2001 verified a Green Gun Range Conversion Technology Demonstration project, whereby lead was removed from a firing range at Fort Dix, N.J. Under the low-cost approach, Brice Environmental Services of Alaska utilized soil-washing techniques from the mining industry to remove particulate lead from the soil, enabling the soil to be reused at the range.

The process was effective in cleaning 3,500 tons of range soil from an initial concentration of over 5,300 parts per million (ppm) of lead to a final concentration below the NJDEP residential standard of 400 ppm. Twenty-one tons of metal were removed from the soil and shipped to a battery manufacturer for recycling. The soil that was cleaned was returned to the firing range. In contrast, current soil cleaning methods either use harsh chemical stripping techniques that can damage the organic state of the soil or a “dig and haul” procedure requiring the disposal of huge volumes of contaminated soil as hazardous waste. These methods are more expensive and carry long-term liabilities for the landowner.

Under state law, the verification was followed by certification by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Subsequently, Brice has bid on a variety of projects, showing potential clients the NJCAT verification and DEP certification of the effectiveness of the process. Additionally, the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command Armament Research Development and Engineering Center (TACOM-ARDEC) at Picatinny Arsenal has continued to test variations of the technology at other firing ranges to assess opportunities for its use.

The demonstration is one of several projects being undertaken under the New Jersey Environmental Technology initiative. Under the first and only partnership of its kind in the nation, NJCAT, TACOM-ARDEC at Picatinny Arsenal and the DEP are testing innovative approaches to resolving environmental problems at military installations and exploring commercial opportunities for the use of those technologies. TACOM-ARDEC is the Army’s premier weapon and munitions research, development and engineering facility.