Polychlorinated biphenyls removal from contaminated soils using a transportable indirect thermal dryer unit: Implications for emissions

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2014-11, Vol.114, p.84-92
• Main Authors: Yang, Bing, Xue, Nandong, Ding, Qiong, Vogt, Rolf David, Zhou, Lingli, Li, Fasheng, Wu, Guanglong, Zhang, Shilei, Zhou, Dandan, Liu, Bo, Yan, Yunzhong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air - analysis; Applied sciences; Assessments; Atmospheric pollution; China; Contamination; Decontamination. Miscellaneous; Dispersed sources and other; Driers; Emission; Environmental Restoration and Remediation - instrumentation; Exact sciences and technology; Pollution; Pollution sources. Measurement results; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); Polychlorinated Biphenyls - analysis; Polychlorinated Biphenyls - isolation & purification; Reduction; Remediation; Removal efficiency; Soil - chemistry; Soil and sediments pollution; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Soil Pollutants - isolation & purification; Soil remediation; Soils; Thermal desorption
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.03.131

•We address in situ PCBs removal from soils using a transportable thermal dryer.•Concentrations of soil PCBs are reduced by 3 orders of magnitude to 0.08–0.15μgg−1.•The emissions to the atmosphere from the unit are below current PCBs regulations.•The unit is suitable for cleaning regionally dispersed sites of PCBs contamination. An assessment in China of the application of a transportable indirect thermal dryer unit for the remediation of soils contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) demonstrated that it is well suited to remove PCBs from soils. A remarkable reduction of total PCBs in soils from 163–770μgg−1 to 0.08–0.15μgg−1 was achieved. This represented removal efficiencies of greater than 99.9% and an approximate 100% removal of the toxic equivalent of the PCBs. Furthermore, the emissions to the atmosphere from the unit were in compliance with current PCBs regulations. In conclusion, remediation of PCBs-contaminated soils based on a transportable indirect thermal dryer unit appears to be a highly efficient and environmentally sound treatment technology that has huge implications for cleaning thousands of regionally dispersed sites of PCBs contamination in China.