Low-temperature Thermal Desorption - Operation Principles

Operation Principles

Thermal desorption systems fall into two general classes—stationary facilities and mobile units. Contaminated soils are excavated and transported to stationary facilities; mobile units can be operated directly onsite. Desorption units are available in a variety of process configurations including rotary desorbers, asphalt plant aggregate dryers, thermal screws, and conveyor furnaces.

The plasticity of the soil is a measure of its ability to deform without shearing and is to some extent a function of water content. Plastic soils tend to stick to screens and other equipment, and agglomerate into large clumps. In addition to slowing down the feed rate, plastic soils are difficult to treat. Heating plastic soils requires higher temperatures because of the low surface area to volume ratio and increased moisture content. Also, because plastic soils tend to be very fine-grained, organic compounds tend to be tightly sorbed. Thermal treatment of highly plastic soils requires pretreatment, such as shredding or blending with more friable soils or other amendments (e.g. gypsum).

Material larger than 2 inches in diameter will need to be crushed or removed. Crushed material is recycled back into the feed to be processed. Coarser-grained soils tend to be free-flowing and do not agglomerate into clumps. They typically do not retain excessive moisture, therefore, contaminants are easily desorbed. Finer-grained soils tend to retain soil moisture and agglomerate into clumps. When dry, they may yield large amounts of particulates that may require recycling after being intercepted in the baghouse.

The solids processing capacity of a thermal desorption system is inversely proportional to the moisture content of the feed material. The presence of moisture in the excavated soils to be treated in the LTTD unit will determine the residence time required and heating requirements for effective removal of contaminants. In order for desorption of petroleum constituents to occur, most of the soil moisture must be evaporated in the desorber. This process can require significant additional thermal input to the desorber and excessive residence time for the soil in the desorber. Moisture content also influences plasticity which affects handling of the soil. Soils with excessive moisture content (> 20%) must be dewatered. Typical dewatering methods include air drying (if storage space is available to spread the soils), mixing with drier soils, or mechanical dewatering.

The presence of metals in soil can have two implications:

• Limitations on disposal of the solid wastes generated by desorption.
• Attention to air pollution control regulations that limit the amount of metals that may be released in stack emissions.

At normal LTTD operating temperatures, heavy metals are not likely to be significantly separated from soils.

High concentrations of petroleum products in soil can result in high soil heating values. Heat released from soils can result in overheating and damage to the desorber. Soils with heating values greater than 2,000 Btu/lb require blending with cleaner soils to dilute the high concentration of hydrocarbons. High hydrocarbon concentrations in the offgas may exceed the thermal capacity of the afterburner and potentially result in the release of untreated vapors into the atmosphere. Excessive constituent levels in soil could also potentially result in the generation of vapors in the desorber at concentrations exceeding the lower explosive limit (LEL). If the LEL is exceeded there is a potential for explosion.