Nonhalogenated VOC's in Soil

Nonhalogenated VOC's:
Acetone, Styrene, etc.

Nonhalogenated VOC's in Soil
Soil vapour extraction (SVE), thermal desorption, and incineration are common technologies for the treatment of nonhalogenated VOC-contaminated soil.

In cases where SVE will not work or where uncertainty exists regarding the ability to obtain required cleanup levels, thermal treatment may be the most appropriate technology. In a limited number of situations, incineration may be most appropriate. Another commonly used technology, bio venting, uses a similar approach to vapour extraction in terms of equipment type and layout but uses air injection rather than extraction and has a different objective: The intent of bio venting is to use air movement to provide oxygen for aerobic degradation using either indigenous or introduced micro organisms. While some organic materials are usually brought to the surface for treatment with the exhaust air, additional degradation is encouraged in situ. This difference in approach renders less volatile materials (particularly fuel products such as diesel fuel) amenable to the process because volatilisation into the soil air is not the primary removal process.

SVE (Soil Vapour Extraction) MEL- VacEx®

Soil Vapour Extraction (SVE) MEL-VacEx® is an in-situ soil remediation technology in which a vacuum is applied to the soil to induce the controlled flow of air and remove volatile and some semi-volatile contaminants from the soil. The gas leaving the soil may be treated to recover or destroy the contaminants, depending on local discharge regulations.

Vertical extraction vents are typically used at depths of 1.5 meters or greater and have been successfully applied as deep as 91 meters. Horizontal extraction vents (installed in trenches or horizontal borings) can be used as warranted by contaminant zone geometry, drill rig access, or other site-specific factors. Ground water extraction pumps may be used to reduce ground water upwelling induced by the vacuum or to increase the depth of the vadose zone. Air injection may be effective for facilitating extraction of deep contamination, contamination in low permeability soils, and contamination in the saturated zone.

Download this page as a pdf

Get Adobe Reader (free software necessary to view pdf files).

Profiles

MEL LTD, Environmental remediation contractors, Newmillerdam Business Park, Wakefield, WF2 6QW, England, UK.
Tel: 01924 251101 Fax: 01924 240448 Email: mail@melltd.com

MEL (Ireland) LTD, 45 Aughrim Street, Dublin 7, Ireland Tel: 00353 1 8685398 Fax: 00353 1 8685412. Also at; 28 Campsie Industrial Estate, McLean Road, Londonderry BT47 3XX, Tel: 02871 865869 Fax: 02871 860942