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SOIL VAPOUR EXTRACTION (SVE)

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INTRODUCTION

Soil Vapor Extraction is a widely used remediation technique for diagnosing soils infected with

volatile element in the vadose field. This form of in-situ remediation can be a powerful tool in

the hands of environmental remediation experts. The use of SVEs is extremely significant for

compounds with high Henry's Law constants, such as chlorinated agents like perchloroethene

(PCE) and several petroleum hydrocarbon compounds like benzene and xylenes. Soil vapor

extraction (SVE) is defined as the placement of wells in the vadose region, which is either over

welling an infected groundwater supply or polluted one. The air is pulled into the polluted soil,

where it blends with infected vapors before being pumped out of the well. The polluted vapor is

treated and thereafter emitted at the ground level. SVE is as well used in combination with

several various remediation methods that produce pollutant air that must be extracted and later

collected.

Figure 1 Depicted Generic SVE System[ CITATION USA02 \l 1033 ]

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The generic SVE scheme is depicted in Figure 1 above. Nevertheless, this has been shown to be

an efficient treatment tool for a variety of volatile organic compounds, as well as other

pollutants, at a number of locations around the world.

SVE SITE SUITABILITY, CONTAMINANT AND PREDOMANT PROCESSES

Predominate process.

Diffusion, volatilization, advection and desorption are the four processes that control SVE.

Diffusion is the mechanism by which a product spreads out into the environment. Diffusion takes

place as a result of a negative concentration difference created by the extraction wells, which

causes pollutants with greater concentrations to diffuse into wells with low to no contamination.

Diffusion continues until the soil no longer has a concentration gradient. Since the pollutants are

chemical elements that instantly disintegrate from particle surfaces, volatilization is the most

important step in the soil vapor extraction method. As a result, the extraction wells would

separate the polluted vapor from the soil.

On the other hand, the movement of a material through a medium, such as a fluid or air, is

known as advection. The transfer of toxins through the air is the case with SVE. Because of the

vacuums introduced to the wells, pollutants inside the vadose region shift on account of weak

differential pressure within the soil. The method of removing a material from a surface is called

desorption. Because of a semipermeable membrane inside the soil, the soil-air is separated from

the soil surface and travels via the unsaturated zone of the soil particles into the extraction wells

proportion to the force put on the vacuum.

Contaminant
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VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are a common form of contaminant for which soil vapor

extraction can be used with high surface tension and low boiling point. Because of the low

boiling point, the substances inside the compound vaporize from the fluid to reach the surface of

the atmosphere. SVE is more effective at eliminating contaminants that are more volatile.

Site suitability

The type of soil, solubility, and degree of water table are all important factors to consider when

assessing the suitability of SVE for a specific pollution site. These aspects play a vital role since

this method works best in fine to moderate soils that are partially viscous to allow for more air

circulation and better vapor extraction, and it only works in soft soils[ CITATION Sha04 \l 1033 ].

The permeability of these soils is typically greater than 10cm/s, allowing polluted vapor to

migrate within the particles of the soil. Since outflowing can take place inside the wells,

preventing soil vapor flow, SVE is ideally utilized when the groundwater table is higher than 10

feet far below the surface of the ground. When attempting to introduce SVE in an environment

for which water level is greater or if upwelling occurs near the extraction wells, a pump can be

necessary to take down the water table and improve the sediment region.

SVE ADVANTAGES

The ease of installation due to readily available building materials may be one of the benefits. A

further benefit of SVE is that it can be combined with other strategies like air sparging which

tends to be utilized when the ground water table is at a profundity where the extraction wells

could bring water into them. Air sparging is the process of infusing foreign substance free air

into the infusion well to move an integrated state into the vapor state, allowing for extraction.
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Another advantage is that the system is simple to control, allowing for a shorter treatment period

and lower implementation costs than other strategies.

SVE SYSTEM DESIGN AND OPERATION.

The first step in developing an SVE device is to determine if it is a suitable technology for

extracting the measure of contaminant out from the site. The three essential factors that

emphatically impact the applicability of SVE are contaminant, the vapor flow rate and the area of

the pollution comparative with the ideal flow path. Generally it is crucial to think about the flow

path that the proposed SVE system would create in relation to the pollution. A different

remediation alternative should be put into consideration if the contaminant content in the soil is

extremely poor for the SVE method to extract a substantial chunk of the contaminant.

Once it has been resolved that SVE is an effective remediation technology based on the

predictive models, pilot-scale testing at the site is needed. Because of the intricacy of the

interaction, predictive models may not catch the entirety of the significant parts of the system. As

a result, prior to the complete design and implementation of an SVE system, pilot-scale tests are

often performed. Water absorption test, water table pumping test and bench column test are

barely commonly carried out. The full SVE system can then be configured after the pilot test is

completed. The various aspects of the method, such as well depth, screening depth, quantity and

alignment of wells, well layout, pump capability, and above ground treatment, can be configured

to maximize the removal of pollutants from the soil, using the statistical methods from the

screening phase and the information gathered from the pilot test.

The SVE system is now ready to be designed, and extraction will begin after the design is

finished. However, the procedure is still a dynamic method, with parameters that can change at
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any time. For a variety of reasons, extensive monitoring is needed during the system's operation.

Operators must ensure that the equipment is in good working order and adapt the process to

improve the removal of pollutants.

REAL LIFE EXAMPLE OF SVE TECHNOLOGY

A monorail service in Upstate New York was involved in engine maintenance as well as

locomotive refueling at a Former locomotive fueling area (FLFA). Unfortunately, all their

operations were halted and fueling tools demolished from that particular area since their

petroleum products and phase liquid tampered with the underground water and soil from that

area. However, the area got treated by the help of SVE extracting volatized petroleum substances

from the subsoil along with air sparging supplying oxygen to the microbial immobilizing the

petroleum substances.

Camp Lejeune, a military camp in California on the other hand, had a portion of their site used

to dispose waste. This led to contamination of soil and the underground water. On account of

contaminated site and the nature of the soil in that particular area, the use of soil vapor extraction

as a remediation method was the best choice. The goal was basically to treat both the soil and

underground water in that site for future use in the military camp.
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REFERENCE

Sharma, Hari D. and Reddy, R (2004). “Geoenvironmental Engineering.”

USACE. (2002). “Engineering and design: Soil Vapor Extraction and Bioventing.”