REMOVAL OF SEMIVOLATILES FROM SOILS BY STEAM STRIPPING .3. STEAM DYNAMICS AND THE STRIPPING OF CONTAMINANTS IN A COLUMN

The initial transients during the heating phase of steam stripping of soil in a column are examined and found to be typically of very short duration compared to the time required for the steam flow to dry the s oil. Two one-dimensional models for steam stripping are developed whic h include these transients. The first permits semivolatile organic com pounds tb be present as nonaqueous phase liquid or dissolved, and post ulates the validity of Henry's law and of the local equilibrium assump tion. The second includes the effects of diffusion kinetics. The depen dence of soil remediation rates on the parameters of the models is exp lored. The use of steam stripping for the remediation of soils contami nated with Lindane and its congeners is discussed.