MICROWAVE TECHNOLOGY FOR SUPERFUND SITE REMEDIATION

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): CHA Corporation has developed a microwave-based air purification technology that can be effectively utilized to recover chemicals from soil vapors produced during hazardous site remediation without using a catalytic oxidizer. A field-ready prototype microwave treatment system will be designed, constructed, and tested in the laboratory during the first year of work. In the second year, the prototype microwave system will be transported to the Superfund site for a field demonstration. The prototype microwave system will be operated at the Superfund site to recover benzene and other chemicals in the soil vapors. Using the field demonstration test results, technical and economic feasibility of the microwave technology for hazardous waste site remediation will be assessed. If the microwave technology is successfully demonstrated for recovering chemicals including benzene from soil vapors, the technology will be ready to be commercialized for Superfund site remediation. Therefore, the main objective of Phase 2 of the proposed project is to perform a commercial demonstration for this Superfund site remediation. A successful application of microwave technology for Superfund site remediation will provide significant energy savings and economic and environmental benefits to industrial sites and military bases.