VOC Remediation

Target Temperature: 100°C 

Removal Mechanism: Volatilization/Co-Boiling of the DNAPL and Phase Transfer

Unlike traditional pump-and-treat or SVE systems, thermal remediation methods can directly target DNAPL and high mass VOC zones and overcome the mass-transfer limitations associated with the presence of DNAPL and high mass in low-permeability soils or fractured bedrock. TerraTherm’s advanced thermal technologies thoroughly heat the impacted zones to co-boil the DNAPLs and volatilize the VOCs in situ for vapor-phase extraction and surface treatment. In some cases, partial in situ degradation occurs at elevated temperatures. This approach significantly reduces cleanup timeframes and long-term liability.

This approach can be used to clean up VOC DNAPL source zones in 5 to 7 months and reliably achieve low remedial standards such as 0.1 mg/kg in soil or 0.05 mg/L in groundwater.  

Note, lower concentration goals can be achieved (e.g., MCLs), however, thermal remediation is often used to surgically target VOC source zones with the highest concentrations and most mass, and not the surrounding areas with low to moderate concentrations. Thus, it often isn’t possible or practicable to treat the source zone to very low concentrations when mass flux into the source zone will prevent uniformly achieving the low concentration goals or result in future rebound.

Treatment goals, soil type and organic carbon content, and specific VOCs targeted determine how much energy needs to be delivered to the target treatment zone and the duration of treatment. For example, if very low treatment goals are required for PCE (co-boiling point with water of 88.5°C), for a site with high organic content, sufficient energy to boil off 35 to 40% of the water content of the treatment zone may need to be delivered. Higher treatment goals in low organic carbon soils for VOCs with a lower boiling point such as TCE (co-boiling point with water of 73°C), may only require sufficient energy to boil off 25 to 30% of the water content.

Target Temperature: 70 to 90°C 

Removal Mechanism: Hydrolysis

For some VOCs, such as 1,2 DCA, ethylene dibromide (EDB), carbon tetrachloride (CT), and dichloromethane (DCM), their hydrolysis degradation rate will increase by several orders of magnitude when heated from ambient temperatures (e.g., 20°C) to 70 to 90°C. For these chemicals, even when present as DNAPL, heating to temperatures between 70 to 90°C, but below the boiling point of water, can be sufficient to reach low remedial goals at a site in 6 to 8 months.  

Target treatment zones are typically heated to 70 to 90°C in 90 days. Once at the target temperature, the power required to maintain temperature is often 1/3 of what is required for initial heating. This approach also has the benefit of not requiring a vapor cover or extraction and treatment system, which greatly reduces costs and site access requirements. For example, the heater wells can be installed below grade, allowing normal access and operations in buildings and active work areas or transportation corridors. The combination of low-profile heaters, low power output, low target temperature, low maintenance power requirements, and no need for a vapor cover or extraction and treatment system makes this a very sustainable and low-cost approach for treating VOC DNAPL source zones with amenable contaminants.

Target Temperature: 35 to 40°C 

Removal Mechanism: Biological Degradation

Increasing subsurface temperatures to between 35 and 40°C can increase the biological degradation rate of VOCs such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and toluene by 2-3 times, resulting in shortening the overall remedial timeframe and reducing the off-site mass flux rate.  This approach uses specially designed low-profile/low-power heaters that can be installed in a 2-inch diameter pipe and used to gently and uniformly heat the targeted treatment zone to the optimal temperature for biodegradation. The small diameter heaters can be easily installed in direct-push borings, thus saving time and money if coordinated with amendment injections (e.g., EVO or EZVI). 

Target treatment zones are typically heated to between 35°C and 40°C for 90 days. Once at the target temperature, the power required to maintain temperature is often 1/4 of what is required for initial heating. This approach also has the benefit of not requiring a vapor cover or extraction and treatment system, which greatly reduces costs and site access requirements. For example, the heater wells can be installed below grade, allowing normal access and operations in buildings and active work areas or transportation corridors. The combination of low-profile heaters, low power output, low target temperature, low maintenance power requirements, and no need for a vapor cover or extraction and treatment system makes this a very sustainable and low-cost approach. 

Our Heating Solutions for VOCs

Electrical Resistance Heating (ERH)

Ideal for moist, heterogeneous soils (e.g., silty, clayey sands and clays). ERH can be used to heat subsurface areas to approximately 100°C and volatilize VOCs like BTEX, PCE, TCE, TCA, and DCA for vapor-phase extraction. As ERH relies on the flow of current between electrodes placed in and around the target treatment zone to heat the soil and groundwater, it requires sufficient soil moisture and electrical conductivity. For example, performance may be reduced in dry formations unless it can be practically and effectively mitigated through water addition at the electrodes, and in some resistive formations (e.g., fractured granite and dry sand), it is not effective. 

For 100°C treatment approaches, soil vapor extraction wells, either co-located with the electrodes or separate vertical or horizontal wells, are required to maintain pneumatic control during treatment. At some sites with sufficiently high groundwater flux rates, multiphase extraction wells may be used to remove vapor and water to provide both pneumatic and hydraulic control during heating.

ERH can also be used to gently and uniformly heat sites to 35 to 40°C for thermally enhanced biodegradation or 70 to 90°C for thermally enhanced hydrolysis. 

Steam Enhanced Extraction (SEE)

Injects steam into the subsurface to strip VOCs from saturated soils or fractured rock with sufficient permeability. Generally, SEE requires effective hydraulic conductivities of 1 x 10-3 cm/s or higher (e.g., sand and/or gravel formations).  When properly designed, SEE can inject high rates of energy and quickly and uniformly heat and treat VOC sites. If site conditions are amenable and subsurface permeabilities are high enough, SEE is often the most cost-effective way of heating and treating VOC source zones due to the wide spacings that can be used between the steam injection wells, the high energy input rates, and typically low cost of the fuel for producing the steam. 

Because steam is injected into the subsurface under pressure at temperatures >100°C, it is not a good candidate for gently heating sites to temperatures <100°C for thermally enhanced biodegradation or hydrolysis.  

In addition, because the steam is injected under pressure and can condense as water, an aggressive network of multiphase extraction wells is required to extract both vapors and liquids (water and NAPL) to maintain pneumatic and hydraulic control during treatment.

SEE can be combined with ERH or TCH to treat sites with both low and high permeability zones that have low and high groundwater flux.  

Thermal Conduction Heating (TCH)

Effective in all soil types, regardless of moisture content (wet and dry, above and below the water table).  Especially effective in fractured rock. TCH relies on thermal conduction of energy from a heater into the surrounding soil or rock. TCH provides highly uniform and predictable heating because the thermal conductivity of most sites only varies by a factor of 2 to 3.  

TCH can be used to uniformly heat soil and rock to the full range of treatment temperatures required for the various VOC treatment approaches: 35 to 40°C for thermally enhanced biodegradation, 70 to 90°C for thermally enhanced hydrolysis, and 100°C for volatilization and co-boiling of DNAPL.  Importantly, at some sites with low-permeability soil (e.g., silts and clays), the soil immediately surrounding the heaters (e.g., 6 inches) will dry out, which can provide essential pathways for volatilized VOCs to migrate from deep soil to the vadose zone where they can be effectively captured and removed for treatment.

For 100°C treatment approaches, soil vapor extraction wells, either co-located with the heaters or separate vertical or horizontal wells, are required to maintain pneumatic control during treatment. At some sites with sufficiently high groundwater flux rates, multiphase extraction wells may be used to remove vapor and water (and NAPL) to provide both pneumatic and hydraulic control during heating.

In-Pile Thermal Desorption (IPTD®)

Treats excavated VOC-contaminated soils in above-ground engineered piles. IPTD provides uniform heating and complete vapor-phase capture, offering an ideal solution for redevelopment-driven or time-constrained projects.

Under optimized conditions, these technologies have routinely achieved over 95 percent contaminant mass removal and have helped sites reach stringent risk-based cleanup standards.

Each thermal remediation design is based on key site-specific variables, including:

• Soil type and permeability (clay, silt, sand, fractured rock)
  
  
• Depth and extent of the contamination zone
  
  
• Vadose zone vs. saturated zone positioning
  
  
• Presence of co-contaminants such as TPH, SVOCs, or PFAS
  
  
• Regulatory cleanup targets and project timelines
  
  

ERH is typically selected for treating shallow to mid-depth BTEX or other light VOCs in conductive, moist soils.
SEE is recommended where DNAPL recovery is a priority or where saturated conditions complicate other technologies.
TCH excels in tight formations and with more complex solvent mixtures or higher-boiling compounds.
IPTD offers fast, controlled treatment of excavated soil, particularly in redevelopment scenarios.

Ready to Address VOCs at Your Site?

TerraTherm’s advanced thermal technologies provide high-efficiency VOC remediation with shorter timeframes, permanent results, and minimal long-term liability. Whether addressing solvent plumes, chlorinated DNAPLs, or petroleum impacts, our team delivers expert support and field-proven systems for successful site closure.

Talk to a Thermal Remediation Expert

 Explore Our SVOC & PAH Remediation Technologies:

• Electrical Resistance Heating (ERH)
  
  
• Steam Enhanced Extraction (SEE)
  
  
• Thermal Conduction Heating (TCH)
  
  
• In-Pile Thermal Desorption (IPTD)