INNOVA SOIL TECHNOLOGY was appointed by Harvey Norman as the head contractor for the remediation of a site at Springvale Victoria. The project was completed in January 2009 with 20,741T of PCB contaminated soil being excavated and treated using Innova’s Direct fired Fast quenched Thermal Desorption (DFTD) process.
Excavation works commenced in February 2008 with 20,741T of contaminated soil excavated from the Springvale site. In addition to the excavation of the PCB contaminated soil Innova Soil Technology also carried out the removal of underground structures from the site.
INNOVA’s mobile DFTF plant was transported to the Springvale site in April 2008 and undertook a 4 month plant erection and commissioning program. As part of the commissioning process proof of performance (POP) test, audited by an independent process auditor was successfully completed demonstrating treatment of the soil whilst achieving worlds best practice emission standards.
"EPA has placed requirements on the operation of the treatment plant to ensure that the process is in accordance with Victoria’s environmental legislation and best practice standards. Stringent emission limits have been set requiring the treatment plant to operate safely and report performance to EPA.” Victorian EPA executive director regional services, Bruce Dawson
24/7 treatment operations commenced in October 2008 and were completed in January 2009.
“Independent monitoring conducted throughout the three month operation and testing of on-site soil at the completion of the process showed the technology was effective in treating PCBs with no reports of any disruption to neighbours.” Victorian Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings
The concentration of PCB in the soil treated during the project was between 11 and 227mg/kg. During the treatment operations 383 treated soil samples were taken by the site environmental consultant. In all but 4 of the treated soil samples the PCB concentration was below the detectible limit of 0.1mg/kg and the highest result was 0.3mg/kg, well below the site cleanup criteria of 2mg/kg.
Sample |
Number of Samples |
PCB Concentration |
Treated Soil |
383 |
<0.1 mg/kg* |
*Only 4 samples were found to have detectable levels of PCB
with the maximum concentration detected 0.3mg/kg |
In addition to the analysis conducted on the treated soil emissions monitoring was also undertaken during the treatment operations. Independent emissions testing consultants conducted an emissions testing program, with 9 rounds of stack testing, along with ambient air monitoring for dust and PCB’s. In all cases the emissions from the DFTD plant were well within the requirements of the Victorian EPA.
“The ‘thermal desorption‘ technology was used to treat contaminated soil on a site providing a new option for landowners and avoiding sending contaminated soil to landfill” Victorian Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings
The successful completion of the project has allows a major construction project to begin on Harvey Normans Springvale site, whilst the cost effective treatment of PCB contaminated soil has resulted in the 20,741T soil being beneficially reused rather than land filled.
Innova Soil Technology's DFTD Plant during
remediation project at Springvale, Vic
Excavation of contaminated soil at Springvale, Vic
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