| Abstract: | In June 1992, SoilTech ATP Systems, Inc., completed the soil treatment phase of the Waukegan Harbor Superfund Project in Waukegan, Illinois, after approximately five months of operation. SoilTech successfully treated 12,700 tons of sediment contaminated with polychlorinated hiphenyls (PCBs) using a transportable SoilTech anaerobic thermal processor (ATP) system nominally rated at ten tons per hour throughput capacity. The SoilTech ATP technology anaerobically desorbs contaminants such as PCBs from solids and sludges at temperatures over 1,000° F. Principal products of the process are clean, treated solids and an oil condensate containing the hydrocarbon contaminants. At the Waukegan Harbor Superfund site, PCB concentrations in the sediments excavated and dredged from a ditch, lagoon, and harbor slip averaged 10,400 parts per million (ppm) (1.04 percent) and were as high as 23,000 ppm (2.3 percent). Treated soil was backfilled in an on-site containment cell. The removal efficiency of PCBs from the soil averaged 99.98 percent, relative to the project performance specification of 97 percent, and treated soil PCB concentrations were measured below 2 ppm. Approximately 30,000 gallons of PCB oil, desorbed from the feed material, were returned to the owner for subsequent off-site disposal. After modifications to the emissions control equipment, compliance with the 99.9999 percent destruction and removal efficiency (DRE) for PCBs in stack emissions required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was achieved. |
