Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
MGPSites
History
The.MGP.is.an.industrial.facility.at.which.gas.was.produced.from.coal,.oil,.
and.other.feedstock..For.a.period.of.over.100.years,.MGPs.were.an.important.
part.of.life.in.cities. and.towns.throughout.the.world..By.the.turn.of.twen-
tieth. century,. almost. every. city. in. the. United. States. had. at. least. one. MGP..
According.to.U.S..EPA.report,.50,000.plants.were.built.over.140.years.of.gas.
production.(US.EPA.2004)..Most.of.the.MGPs.were.located.adjacent.to.water-
ways.and.rail.spurs.for.easy.access.to.coal.(EI.Digest.1995)..As.the.technology.
developed,.it.became.a.common.source.of.light,.heat,.and.fuel.for.a.variety.
of.industrial.and.commercial.facilities,.and.residences..After.electricity.and.
natural. gas. became. common. afterward,. many. of. the. larger. MGP. proper-
ties.were.converted.for.new.uses.by.the.facilities.and.other.companies.that.
owned.them..In.addition.to.the.commercial.MGPs,.many.railroad.companies,.
military. installations,. large. institutions. (e.g.,. hotels,. hospitals,. prisons,. and.
schools),. industrial. facilities,. and. large. private. homes. were. equipped. with.
gas. plants. (Heritage. Research. Center. 2002).. By. the. early. 1940s,. natural. gas.
became. more.cost-effective.compared. to. MGP. gases,. and. MGP. production.
declined.rapidly..At.this.point,.MGPs.were.closed,.sold,.or.decommissioned..
In. the. absence. of. strict.environmental.regulations,. MGP. process. residuals,.
by-products,.and.wastes.remained.at.the.former.MGPs..The.manufacturing.
practices.thus.left.an.environmental.legacy.of.hazardous.waste.contamina-
tion.in.soil.and.water.ecosystems.around.MGPs.
Typical MGP Process and the Residuals
A.typical.manufactured.gas.production.involves.three.processes—coal.car-
bonization,.carbureted.water.gas,.and.oil.gas.(New.York.State.Department.of.
Environmental.Conservation.[NYDEC].2003)..When.the.coal.is.heated.under.
anoxic.conditions.(carbonization),.volatile.products.are.driven.off.as.gas.that.
is. collected,. puriied,. and. delivered.. The. solid. remains. after. carbonization.
can. be. burnt. at. high. temperature. to. yield. coke.. Carbureted. water. gas. or.
“blue.gas”.is.produced.by.passing.steam.through.a.bed.of.incandescent.car-
bon..The.resultant.gas.(mixture.of.methane.and.carbon.monoxide).is.further.
reacted. with. light. oil. petroleum. products. to. produce. a. gas. of. higher. calo-
riic.value..In.the.production.of.oil.gas.similar.to.the.carbureted.water-gas.
process,.oil.is.added.to.the.reactor.to.generate.more.heat..The.oil.vapors.are.
thermally.cracked.and.ixed.into.gases.(Luthy.1994,.US.EPA.2004).
All. the. three. gas. manufacturing. processes. described. earlier. left. various.
hazardous.process.residuals,.and.a.typical.MGP.has.several.remnant.struc-
tures..Generally,.coal.is.stockpiled.on-site.for.considerable.length.of.time.dur-
ing.the.periods.of.less.demand..Leachates.from.these.sources.contain.heavy.
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