Importance

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Abstract

A process for the purification of soil contaminated with organic material is provided. The preferred process generally involves superposed attrition and classification processes, which lead to removal and concentration of highly contaminated fractions. The process may also include a step of flotation whereby hydrophobic materials in the soil are released to an interface with air bubbles, and are floated to the top of a flotation cell. In preferred processes according to the present invention, soil to be treated is extracted from a contaminated site, and is broken into relatively small particles. These particles are preferably treated in attrition and classification steps, to remove fine, slow settling contaminated materials such as wood and fine soil materials. The resulting isolated coarser materials are then treated by flotation for a final polishing step. The process is particularly well adapted for use in treating soils contaminated with oil and grease materials containing PCP therein, from wood treatment plants or the like.

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First Claim