Pneumatic Soil Fracturing

Definition

• Involves the injection of air or another gas under pressure, into unsaturated zone, creating micro-fractures for the advective transport of contaminants.
• Increases the number of subsurface pathways for advective flow and results in increased contaminant mass removal and accelerated remediation.

Application

• Low permeability soil with a permeability of 0.001 to 10 millidarcies (equivalent to a hydraulic conductivity range of 10E-8 to 10E-4 cm/s).

Unique Characteristics

• Significantly increases the extraction rate of contaminants from the subsurface.
• Incorporates a pneumatic soil fracturing technique, similar to those used for years in the oil industry, to successfully fracture and remediate low permeability soils in situ.
• In situ technology minimizes site or property disturbances. Can be performed under existing buildings and structures.
• Can easily be combined with hot air injection for increased recovery of contaminants.
• Performs rapid cleanup for property sale or development.

Case Studies

• Service Station, San Francisco, CA
• Aerospace Manufacturing Facility, Los Angeles, CA

Technical Papers

• Integrated Pneumatic Soil Fracturing System/Vacuum Extraction For Remediation of Low Permeability Soils
• In Situ Bioremediation in Low Permeability Silt and Clay Soils
• Advances in the Vacuum Extraction Technology for Effective Subsurface Remediation