Case study of shallow soil mixing and soil vacuum extraction remediation project

Shallow Soil Mixing (SSM) and Soil vacuum Extraction (SVE) are techniques which have been increasingly relied on for the in situ remediation of contaminated soil. The primary applications of SSM have been to mix cement, bentonite, or other reagents to modify properties and thereby remediate contaminated soils or sludges. Soil vacuum extraction has been used at numerous applications for in situ removal of contaminants from soils. At a recent project in southern Ohio, the two technologies were integrated and enhanced to extract volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from soils at a Department of Energy facility. Advantages of the integrated SSM/SVE technology over alternative technologies include a relatively rapid remediation compared to other in situ techniques at a lower cost, less exposure of waste to the surface environment and elimination of off site disposal. These advantages led to the selection of the use of both technologies on the project in Southern Ohio