Design considerations for soil cleanup by soil vapor extraction

The development and application of innovative technologies for soil remediation is rapidly evolving. Soil vapor extraction has been identified as one of the most attractive technologies for remediating volatile organic compounds in unsaturated zone (above the groundwater table) soil, because it is effective and economical. However, the design basis for applying this technology is not well documented. This paper presents a state-of-the-art approach for design and implementation of a soil vapor extraction system to remediate soil at a federal site in the Midwest contaminated with tetrachloroethylene.