Have you heard of thermal desorption at any point? Whether you have or not, here is your chance to learn more about the process. To begin with, it is a remediation process that is used in the cleaning of contaminated soils. The cleaning process occurs through the vaporization of the contaminants. For this to happen, there has to be an application of heat. The process, however, works only works for the volatile soil contaminants. Through the application of heat to the complicated soils, those wastes that tend to have a lower boiling point are forced into vaporizing and then collected for treatment. Through the process, the soil is used for various purposes without the issues of contamination. Therefore, most of the times, landfill space is easy to preserve by replacing the soil as opposed to transporting it offsite.
As you think of thermal desorption, there are various soil aspects and characteristics. For example, you have to take into account moisture content, the plasticity, soil particle size, heat capacity as well as the bulk density. For soil with high moisture content, more energy is required in the treatment process, as opposed to the soil with lower moisture content. For the soils that have that are really fine such as clay, they can emit tiny particle as dust. Well, these are generally the soil aspects you’ve got to think about first before going through with thermal desorption.
What then are the advantages of thermal desorption?
For one the process is time effective. This is actually one of the major advantages. Thermal desorption is a really fast process. This, however, depends on the level of soil contamination. Even while this is the case, even highly contaminated soils are easy and quick to clean. This is because of the speed that is achievable by the thermal desorption process. Thermal desorption is, therefore, a benefit for time-sensitive projects.
For large volumes, thermal desorption is cost-competitive. If you are cleaning a large amount of soil, then the cost of thermal desorption is quite low since you reduce the cost per unit. Well, the process is majorly cost-effective in projects that involve 1200 tons or more. Thermal desorption costs you less compared to other remediation or treatment options.
Thermal desorption is also the best option when it comes to sites that do not have extensive contamination. The treatment of small but extensively contaminated places is possible with the strategy. With most other strategies, it is impossible to conduct the treatment of small soil volumes.
Additionally, thermal desorption is quite as versatile as a soil treatment method. This is mainly because you can implement on-site and also off-site. With larger projects, on-site treatment is recommended to keep the cost of transportation down. On the other hand, if you are working on a smaller project, off-site treatment will be much better and more cost-effective.
Soil recyclability is the other benefit that comes about with thermal desorption. Soil is reused once it is treated. The physical characteristics of soil remain as they were and thus are not changed after treatment.