What is Ground Remediation?

Remediation is defined by Oxford Languages as the action of remedying something, in particular of reversing or stopping environmental damage. There are three types of remediation, and they are soil remediation, groundwater/surface water remediation, and sediment remediation. This post will focus on soil and sediment remediation.

Soil remediation refers to the process of removing contaminants from soil. These contaminants can be petroleum hydrocarbons from drill cuttings or tank bottoms of petroleum industries, pesticides from crops, radioactive waste from nuclear power plants and fuel processing plants, and heavy metals from industrial production. Sediment refers to solid particles, usually soil, minerals, or organic matter, that settles to the bottom of a liquid. Sediment can also be solids from the beforementioned contaminants. These contaminants can affect plant and animal populations by changing the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil. Contaminants such as oil can cause the pores of the soil to clog which stops proper water absorption and plant growth. The pollutants can cause reduced crop yield and make the reduced crops unsafe to consume.

Vulcan® Drying Systems offers soil/sediment remediation via thermal desorption. Our thermal desorption unit is centered around a direct fired drum. This system can include a feed hopper, live bottom feeder, feed conveyors, rotary drum and burner, and cooling auger with spray manifold. Particulate pollution is controlled by a cyclone and baghouse train. The volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants are controlled by a thermal oxidizer and an optional acid gas scrubber. Vulcan® Drying Systems are cost effective, efficient, and easy to operate. Contact Vulcan® for a free quote or for any questions you may have.

Below is a link to an article about remediation technologies by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Related Article: https://www.epa.gov/remedytech/remediation-technologies-cleaning-contaminated-sites