News

DEC UK: Thermal desoprtion kit arrives at The Avenue

Parts of the thermal desoprtion plant, intended to tackle 500,000t of contaminated soil through seven-day-a-week operation over the next two-and-a-half years have arrived at The Avenue site near Chesterfield.

The plant will treat the most heavily hydrocarbon contaminated materials at the East Midlands Development Agency's flagship remediation site.

Contractor VSD Avenue [ie DEC, Sita Remedation and Volker Stevin] says a conveyor belt will move soil into the gas-fired kiln where hydrocarbons will vapourize at 600°C, the vapour will be superheated to 1,200°C and cooled and the gases will pass into a bag house to remove particles and the gases treated to remove contaminants. "Thermal desorption is an innovative technique that uses high levels of heat to break down the hydrocarbon chemicals contained within the soil," said project director Marcus Foweather.

"There are many substances contained in the ground at The Avenue - such as heavy metals and petrol based chemicals - that if left untreated, could be harmful to people, wildlife and the environment. Much of this contamination is a result of the site's industrial heritage, and it is our job to clean this up in a safe way."

Other bits of kit for the £172.3m scheme including soil washing and water treatment will arrive shortly.

"During the next few weeks, there may be more traffic coming in and out of the site as we take delivery of the equipment needed for the clean up," said EMDA project director Mike Fenton.

"Residents living near to The Avenue may also become aware of some odours coming from the site. Unfortunately, as the contaminated ground is disturbed, these smells may increase. We will be regularly monitoring the situation to minimise the impact on local people, but if anyone has any concerns, please do get in touch and pass on any ideas you have that may help us improve things. Working with the community at every stage of this project is important in ensuring its success."

Source: Brownfield Briefing

Read the full press release from EMDA.

May 2010