Soil vapor extraction of chlorinated solvents at an industrial site in Brazil

This study presents the design, monitoring and remediation strategy for a soil vapor extraction (SVE) system installed at an industrial site contaminated with a mixture of organic compounds, in particular 1,2 dichloroethane, carbon tetrachloride and chloroform. The unsaturated zone at the site is very deep and presents near ideal conditions for SVE, with the contaminated portion of the porous media characterized by alluvial deposits of a well graded sand followed by a capillary barrier at 28m of depth, which limited DNAPL downward migration. The soil cleanup time and the optimal removal rates of mass, considering different values of vacuum/discharge applied in the SVE system, have been estimated through the use of numerical sensitivity analysis. Results of the pilot-scale testing activities allowed for the calibration of flow and contaminated mass transport models and the determination, in a preliminary phase, of the infiltrated mass of different compounds.