TerraTherm History

The opportunity to form TerraTherm as we know it today came in 2000 when a division of Royal Dutch Shell donated a cutting edge technology to the University of Texas at Austin, which in turn licensed it to TerraTherm’s co-founders, thus making the launch of TerraTherm possible. Since that time, TerraTherm has broadened its capabilities, developed and patented new methods, added numerous partners, proven the applicability of thermal remediation, and completed numerous successful projects worldwide.

Here are some milestones:

Late 1980s/early 1990s Shell Exploration and Production (Shell E&P), a division of Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) develops the TerraTherm ISTD technology out of its efforts to enhance oil recovery.
1994 Shell E&P recognizes the technology’s potential to clean up contaminated soil.
1994 to 1998 Shell Technology Ventures, Inc. (STVI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell E&P that held the ISTD patents, and TerraTherm Environmental Services Inc., a STVI spin-off conduct seven ISTD demonstrations and projects.
1999-2000 Shell exits the remediation business and donates the ISTD rights within the U.S. to the University of Texas at Austin (UT).
2000 Ralph Baker, Ph.D. and John Bierschenk, P.G. secure the exclusive license to commercialize ISTD within the United States from UT.
2000 Baker and Bierschenk co-found TerraTherm, LLC, assuming the roles of CEO and President, respectively.
2000 Jim Galligan, P.E. joins the company as lead engineer. TerraTherm opens offices in Fitchburg, MA and equipment facilities in Houston, TX.
2001 TerraTherm, LLC completes first round of funding and converts to a subchapter C corporation, TerraTherm, Inc.
2002 Industry veteran John LaChance joins the TerraTherm team.
2002 TerraTherm secures the exclusive worldwide rights to commercialize ISTD outside the U.S. from Shell. Partnership with SheGoTec Japan, Inc. established.
2004 Six field projects underway; TerraTherm achieves an ISTD milestone with the successful completion of its first CVOC project.
2004 ISTR industry leader Dr. Gorm Heron joins TerraTherm.
2005 TerraTherm achieves another ISTD milestone with the successful completion of its first MGP project.
2005 Successful completion of a fast turnaround Brownfield cleanup of CVOCs for the City of Richmond, CA.
2006 Successful completion of the pioneering Southern California Edison Alhambra ISTD project, achieving a No Further Action letter from the State of California.
2006 Partnerships forged with Krüger A/S in Denmark and Sweden, and with AIGE in the UK.
2006 TerraTherm moves to larger facilities in Fitchburg, MA
2007 TerraTherm secures a license to practice Steam Enhanced Extraction (SEE) from the Univ. of California Berkeley. TerraTherm begins its first SEE project.
2007 Successful completion of the first ISTD project remediating DNAPL in fractured rock.
2008 TerraTherm utilizes ISTD to successfully treat 48,000 cy of CVOC-contaminated soil for the U.S. Air Force at Memphis Depot, TN. The project is awarded the Secretary of Defense Award for Environmental Restoration in 2009.
2008 TerraTherm adds ET-DSP™ capability through partnership with McMillan-McGee Corporation.
2008 Successful completion of first ISTD-SEE combination at an active dry cleaning facility in Odense, Denmark.
2009 TerraTherm is awarded the Gold Medal award for Business Achievement in the Remediation Contracting category by the Environmental Business Journal.
2009 12 field projects underway, 22 field projects completed.

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