Environmental Remediation
JRT’s technology also has valuable and unique environmental remediation applications. Traditional thermal remediation methods require substantial infrastructure and energy to heat the host (soil and bedrock) in order to transmit heat to the target (contaminants) and extract it from the subsurface for disposal. RF heating requires minimal infrastructure and preferentially heats the target (organic contaminants) over the host, both improving heating efficiency and rendering thermal treatment feasible in crystalline bedrock where traditional thermal methods have failed. Most importantly, RF can be tuned in frequency, power and direction to enable thermal treatment within a full spectrum of low to high temperature remedial applications. These include:
- low temperature in situ (in the subsurface) transformation of contaminants by thermal degradation into harmless byproducts thereby eliminating generation and management of a waste stream;
- catalyze the efficiency and effectiveness of other in situ treatment technologies such as bioremediation or oxidation; and
- cost-effectively enhance thermal recovery of oil from contaminated soil or groundwater.