Dr. Ralph S. Baker is the CEO of TerraTherm, Inc., a remediation technology firm located in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. A Certified Soil Scientist with an M.S. in soil chemistry and a Ph.D. in soil physics, he has 30 years' experience in the evaluation, design and implementation of technologies for in-situ and on-site treatment of wastes in soil and groundwater. Dr. Baker has served as an expert on a wide range of innovative physical, chemical and biological treatment technologies as a consultant to industry and government. Over the past ten years and particularly since co-founding TerraTherm, Inc. in 2000, Dr. Baker has focused his attention on application of in-situ thermal remediation of contaminated soils via simultaneous application of heat by thermal conduction and vacuum. He has authored over 65 scientific publications on in-situ/on-site remediation and soil physics.
Presentation Description Evaluating the Feasibility of In Situ Thermal Treatment of Coal Tar beneath an Active Rail yard Experience with many MGP sites with NAPL has shown that often the first and foremost objective of the utility company and the regulatory agency is to stop NAPL migration beyond the property limits and establish control of the dissolved plume. Thermal technologies may be able to provide the Utility Industry with a simple and cost-effective way to do so. By applying thermal conduction heating (TCH) to targeted regions of the subsurface containing coal tar (either above and/or below the water table), the subsurface temperature can be efficiently raised to the boiling point of water resulting in distillation and removal of the VOC fraction of the tar (e.g., benzene and naphthalene).
