Indirect Thermal Desorptionis a remediation technology designed to separate the organic constituents from a waste stream in such a manner that they are preserved for collection and recycling.
Heat is applied ‘indirectly’ in that the feed material is does not make direct contact with combustion gases. Alternately, heat is transferred from a furnace situated around a long rotating drum to the feed material isolated inside.
Indirect heat combined with an inert atmosphere inside the rotary drum prevents any oxidation of the hydrocarbon constituents of the feed material.
Hydrocarbons are simply converted to a gas phase where they are separated from the solids through and induced draft. This process gas is routed to the Vapor Recovery Unit (VRU) where it is condensed and collected for recycling.
This process renders the feed material non-hazardous, with its organic portions removed, while still preserving the hydrocarbons for collection and recycling
Typical applications include wastes generated through oil and gas exploration such as OBM drill cuttings and muds, refinery waste, slop oils, marine waste including tanker bottoms as well as soils contaminated with PCBs, PAHs, chlorinated hydrocarbons and other hazardous materials.