Soil Heating

Definition

• Combines soil heating techniques with vacuum extraction process to increase the vapor pressure of semi- and non-volatile contaminants; thereby increasing the effectiveness vacuum extraction.
• Can be implemented through hot and humid air injection, steam injection, electric soil heating, radio frequency heating, oxidant injection or other methods.

Application

• Typical vadose zone soil permeability range of 0.001 to 10,000 millidarcies (equivalent of 10E-8 to 10E-1 cm/s hydraulic conductivity).
• Volatile or semi-volatile contaminants in the vadose zone.

Unique Characteristics

• Can speed the removal and recovery of contaminants and decrease the cleanup time frame.
• Increases contaminant volatility, desiccates soil faster and may enhance soil microorganism populations
• Each soil heating method has unique advantages and disadvantages that one must evaluate on a site-specific basis.
• Performs rapid cleanup for property sale or development.

Case Studies

• Service Station, San Francisco, CA
• McClellan AFB Superfund Site, Sacramento, CA

Technical Papers

• Advances in the Vacuum Extraction Technology for Effective Subsurface Remediation