| Summary: | Several million underground and aboveground storage sites in the
United States contain petroleum, solvents, and other hazardous chemicals.
Of these storage sites, an estimated 30% are leaking their contents into the
soil. While various technologies exist for the remediation of the
contaminated soil, they are relatively incapable of fully cleaning the soil when the contaminant has a low water solubility or a low vapor pressure.
Under these conditions, steam stripping the contaminant from the
soil can be of great use. Although the petroleum industry has used this
process for many years, it is just now beginning to gain recognition in the
remediation industry as a valuable tool. Several proprietary models have
been developed for use in the unsaturated vadose zone, with some authors
claiming that oilfield simulators cannot be used in this zone.
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