ERH is a technology that uses electrical current to heat subsurface soils and groundwater. The input electricity is conducted thru water in the unsaturated soils, or through groundwater, and the soils act as resistors, thereby causing the soils to be heated.
The figure below shows a typical electrode array (the cylindrical objects with a white top). Subsurface vapors (see horizontal piping) are collected under vacuum and fed to a vapor treatment system (not shown) where the water is separated and the off-gas containing volatile organics are either treated or discharged to the atmosphere, depending on regulatory requirements.
The technology is ideally suited for removal of volatile organics like TCE, PCE, VC and BETX in impermeable soils, and treatment of DNAPL. The technology can be used inside buildings, and the remediation is typically complete in less than a year.
SMA staff has remediated eleven sites using this technology, some under a firm fixed- price guarantee. For more details on this technology see ERH FAQ's.
