Ecologia has recently undertaken a pilot trial to assess the effectiveness of Multi-Phase Extraction (MPE) for the removal of shallow Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) identified to be Trichloroethylene (TCE). The TCE was lost to ground during the operation of an engine components manufacturing facility and were found to have become trapped within gravel above clays which prevented downward migration beneath the site. The aim of the works was to assess a technique for general betterment to remove the DNAPL prior to re-assessment of the resulting dissolved phase plume.

Ecologia mobilised a fully automated, self contained small scale MPE system, that we designed and manufactured in the UK, to undertake the pilot trial over a period of 1 week.

The project was highly successful with the MPE unit demonstrating that removal of large volumes of DNAPL and highly contaminated groundwater is possible with this technique. The downstream treatment and separation process was carefully designed to eliminate emulsification so that phase separation is optimised and liquid waste disposal minimised with substantial saving in water treatment costs.

The pilot trial resulted in the assessment of a number of site specific parameters such as Radius of Influence (ROI), rate of extraction, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) concentrations in the water and off gas which have been used to design the full scale system.

The pilot trial was carried out for a fixed price and we have approximately 12 MPE units for small in-situ projects or for pilot testing for larger projects.

Follow the link to see the video of our TCE pilot trial.

Additional information about our small MPE systems are also available here.