TerraTherm and e2M Use ISTD for Pollution Cleanup at Former U.S. Army Memphis Depot, Part of DLA Project That Wins 2009 Secretary of Defense Environmental Award


FITCHBURG, MA--(Marketwire - May 19, 2009) - TerraTherm, Inc. has announced the successful completion of a pollution cleanup project at the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency's former Memphis Depot, an important step in the overall environmental remediation of that Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) site, which has become an engine for economic development in the area. Working with engineering-environmental Management, Inc. (e2M) of Denver, Colorado, TerraTherm applied In Situ Thermal Desorption (ISTD) to remove a total of approximately 5,675 kg (12,500 lbs) of contaminants, representing 99.99% of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) that were present in high concentrations in the loess treatment area, extending from the ground surface to approximately 30 feet below ground surface (bgs). The Defense Logistics Agency has been awarded the 2009 Secretary of Defense Environmental Award for Environmental Restoration for overall project performance.

"This site was very well suited to ISTD, which employs thermal conduction heating and vacuum extraction simultaneously, because of its large target volume of 38,200 cubic meters (49,950 cubic yards), subsurface CVOC DNAPL material at depths of up to 9 meters (30 feet), and very stringent cleanup goals. That excellent fit enabled us to design an ISTD process that fully treated the site in a cost-effective manner," said Ralph Baker, CEO of TerraTherm, Inc.

Memphis Depot was activated as a storage and logistics site by the U.S. Army in January 1942 and closed in 1997 as part of the BRAC process. The project design confronted a number of complexities and required an innovative approach involving a combination of technologies, according to Tom Holmes, Project Manager of e2M, the overall remediation contractor at the former Memphis Depot. "The site was challenging in many respects, and TerraTherm's ISTD was an excellent partner to e2M in addressing soil contaminations in the loess treatment areas. Their design and execution of the thermal treatment and the amount of mass removed were significant contributors to the achievement of this prestigious award from the Secretary of Defense."

These dramatic reductions in contaminant mass and soil concentrations at the site have resulted in successful closure of all eight targeted source areas in the loess treatment area and in improved long-term protection of the water supply both at Memphis Depot and in the broader community.

About TerraTherm

TerraTherm, Inc. is a worldwide leader in the development and implementation of in situ thermal remediation of source zones and hazardous waste. We design, build and operate projects from concept to closure, using In Situ Thermal Desorption (ISTD), Steam Enhanced Extraction (SEE) and the Electrothermal Dynamic Stripping Process (ET-DSP). With offices in Fitchburg, MA, Keene, CA, and Atlanta, GA, and licensees such as Kruger A/S (Denmark and Sweden), AIG Engineering (UK), and SheGoTec (Japan), we offer services worldwide. For more information, visit www.terratherm.com.

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