The unit, called a desorber, has successfully treated more than 400,000 tons of contaminated soil at other sites in the past two years, said Mike Linder, operations manager for the Arizona company that owns the unit. Linder said the unit is equipped with safety devices that will shut down the system if a problem arises. He said monitors are in the stack to ensure that no contamination is released into the air. Four air-monitoring stations, approved by the state and the EPA, are around the site. Linder said the soil is heated to about 850 degrees and then to 1,800 degrees to destroy the contaminants.
Water is used to cool it.
He said the water will be treated on site and reused in the system. The cleaned soil, which will be tested to make sure the pesticides are removed, will be taken back to the site it came from, said Art McClain of Union Carbide. Roots, rocks and other debris will be removed from the soil before it is treated. The debris will be taken to a hazardous waste landfill. Linder said the system will run 24 hours a day except on Wednesday, when it will be shut down for maintenance.