Groundwater remediation of volatile halogenated hydrocarbons

Chlorinated and aromatic hydrocarbons play an important role in this process. Harbauer has been operating on the site of the former Buna plants since 2000 and was commissioned in 2018 with the construction and operation of another groundwater treatment plant at the site.

The groundwater is pumped into the plant from a total of nine wells. The water is treated in a two-stage desorption.

The first desorption column mainly converts the carcinogenic vinyl chloride into the gas phase, which is subsequently treated with foto-oxidation in a UV-Reactor from our daughter company uviblox GMBH. Here, the vinyl chloride is completely oxidized into carbon dioxide, water and hydrochloric acid. The purified exhaust air is added to the larger desorption air stream of the second column.

In the second stage of desorption, the water is purified from the remaining harmful substances. The process air of the second desorption column is cleaned by means of four air activated carbon filters. These are very well suited for the removal of the volatile halogenated hydrocarbons
and, due to regular coal exchange, the exhaust air limits according to the german “Technische Anleitung Luft (TA-Luft) are reliably complied with.

The purified water is finally supplied to the receiving water.