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Thermal Desorption at the Reich Farm Superfund Site, Pleasant Plains, New Jersey

Site Name:

Reich Farm Superfund Site

Location:

Pleasant Plains, New Jersey

Period of
Operation:

November 1, 1994 to March 10, 1995

Cleanup
Type:

Full scale

Vendor:

Shawn Todaro
Vice President
Four Seasons Environmental, Inc.
3107 South Elm Eugene Street
Greensboro, North Carolina 27416
Telephone: (336) 273-2718
Fax: (336) 274-5798

Technology:
Thermal Desorption
- Low temperature volatilization system (LTVS) owned by Four Seasons Environmental, Inc.
- Transportable thermal desorption unit mounted on a trailer; the desorber was 38 feet long and eight feet in diameter and had a maximum throughput of 45 tons/hour
- The primary treatment unit was directly heated with a 50 million BTU/hr burner that used #2 fuel oil
- Air pollution control equipment for the system included a multi-cyclone, thermal oxidizer, heat exchanger, dry scrubber, and baghouse
- Residence time - 8 to 12 minutes; soil exit temperature - 650 to 750 F

Cleanup Authority:
CERCLA
- ROD signed September 30, 1988

EPA Remedial Project Manager (RPM):
Jonathan Gorin
EPA Region 2
290 Broadway, 19th Floor
New York, NY 10007
Telephone: (212) 637-4361
Fax: (212) 637-4429
E-mail: gorin.jonathan@epa.gov
PRP Project Lead:
Craig Wilger
Union Carbide Technical Center
P.O. Box 8361
South Charleston, WV 25303
Telephone: (304) 747-3707
Fax: (304) 747-3680
E-mail: wilgerca@ucarb.com

Contaminants:
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Semivolatile Organic Compounds (SVOCs)

Waste Source:
Leaking drums and disposal of wastes in trenches

Type/Quantity of Media Treated:
Soil
- 14,836 cubic yards
- Primarily coarse sand with small amounts of clay and silt
- Moisture Content - < 10%

Purpose/Significance of Application:
Thermal desorption treatment of soils contaminated with VOCs and SVOCs

Regulatory Requirements/Cleanup Goals:
The soil cleanup levels specified in the ROD were 1 mg/kg for total VOCs and 10 mg/kg for total SVOCs

Results:
All treated soil met the cleanup goals of 1 mg/kg for total VOCs and 10 mg/kg for total SVOCs, and was backfilled on site
- No information was provided about the specific VOC and SVOC concentrations in the treated soil or whether any soil required retreatment prior to meeting the cleanup goals

Cost Factors:
The total project cost was $4,115,00, including $2,205,000 the thermal treatment application and $1,910,000 in other project costs such as excavation sampling, soil excavation, and sheeting and shoring of the excavation
- The unit cost for the thermal treatment application was $147 per cubic yard of soil treated

Description:
The Reich Farm Superfund Site (Reich Farm) is a three acre site located in Pleasant Plains, New Jersey. In 1971, the site was leased by an independent waste hauler and used for a five-month period to dispose of 55-gallon drums containing organic solvents, still bottoms, residues, and other wastes. In December 1971, the owners of Reich Farm found 4,950 drums at the site (4,500 drums containing waste and 450 empty drums), along with several trenches that had been used for waste disposal. Labels indicated that the drums belonged to Union Carbide. Results of the Remedial Investigation showed that groundwater and subsurface soils at the site were contaminated with VOCs and SVOCs, and the site was listed on the National Priorities List in September 1983. A ROD for the site, signed in September 1988, specified excavation and on-site treatment using enhanced volatilization of soil.

The thermal treatment system used for this application was a transportable low temperature volatilization system (LTVS) owned by Four Seasons Environmental, Inc. The primary treatment unit was directly heated and had a maximum throughput of 45 tons/hour. From November 1, 1994 to March 10, 1995, 14,836 cubic yards of contaminated soil was treated using the LTVS. All treated soil met the cleanup goals of 1 mg/kg for total VOCs and 10 mg/kg for total SVOCs, and was backfilled on site. No information was provided about the specific VOC and SVOC concentrations in the treated soil or whether any soil required retreatment prior to meeting the cleanup goals.