Webinars
Welcome to the thermal remediation educational webinar portal! We invite you to join us for live presentations by our team of in-house experts. This page provides you with access to an immersive learning experience, where you can discover the latest developments, best practices, and innovative solutions in the field of thermal remediation. From exploring case studies to discussing emerging technologies, our webinar series is designed to empower you with the expertise needed to make informed decisions and drive positive change.
Upcoming Webinars
Getting Started with Thermal Remediation
January 29, 2025 | 10:00 AM Pacific / 1:00 PM Eastern
In this first webinar of our series titled “The Nuts and Bolts of Thermal Remediation,” we will introduce the fundamentals of thermal remediation, covering the key contaminant removal and destruction mechanisms as well as the primary thermal technologies available. We will explore the benefits and limitations of each technology in relation to site geology and hydrogeology, addressing conditions like above and below the water table, high permeability / high groundwater flow settings, fractured bedrock, and complex sites with mixed permeability layers.
We will also cover the three basic thermal treatment approaches: low (35 to 90°C), moderate (100°C), and high temperature (greater than 100°C), discussing their sweet spots, what contaminants can be treated with each, and why you would choose one over the others. The session will wrap up with a case study demonstrating how multiple thermal technologies were successfully combined to effectively treat a CVOC DNAPL site with both low and high groundwater flow conditions.
Using Conceptual Site Models to Guide Thermal Technology Choice
February 26, 2025 | 10:00 AM Pacific / 1:00 PM Eastern
In this second webinar of our series, “The Nuts and Bolts of Thermal Remediation,” we will take a deep dive into evaluating a site’s Conceptual Site Model (CSM) and selecting the optimal technologies and approach to achieve remedial objectives.
We will review the primary thermal technologies, detailing how each works, and discussing their advantages and limitations across a range of geologic and hydrogeologic conditions, including clay, silts, sands, gravels, bedrock, and varying groundwater flow.
Next, we will outline the key data from a site's CSM that determines technology selection, including:
- COC(s) chemical and physical properties
- Remediation goals
- Depth and volume of contamination
- Geology and groundwater flow
- Presence of underground structures or utilities
- Geotechnical considerations
Finally, we will explore how high resolution site characterization (HRSC) and precise source zone delineation can streamline your project, reduce costs, and ensure successful cleanup outcomes.
Thermal Modeling, Wellfield Design, and Monitoring
March 26, 2025 | 10:00 AM Pacific / 1:00 PM Eastern
In the third session of our webinar series titled “The Nuts and Bolts of Thermal Remediation,” we will review the details of the design of thermal remediation systems, following a thorough review of the Conceptual Site Model (CSM), and the selection of the appropriate technologies and approaches.
Thermal remediation expert, Steffen Griepke will guide us through designing the heating, extraction, and monitoring components of the system. He will also discuss the role of numerical modeling in ensuring effective heating across the treatment zone at all depths and locations as well as in predicting the operational timelines, utility requirements, and equipment sizing.
Some key insights from numerical modeling include estimating electrical power load, electricity consumption, vapor and liquid contaminant loading to the treatment equipment, liquid treatment and discharge rates, and vapor and liquid cooling loads.
We will cover the design of the wellfield components, including the thermal wells (TCH, ERH, SEE), extraction wells, and temperature and pressure monitoring points. This session will also specify which parameters to monitor and at what frequency. Lastly, we will discuss the importance of evaluating whether an insulated vapor cover is needed over the treatment area to ensure effective heating and successful remediation.
Selection and Design of Vapor and Liquid Treatment Systems
April 23, 2025 | 10:00 AM Pacific / 1:00 PM Eastern
Vapor and liquid extraction and treatment systems are essential components of in situ thermal remediation (ISTR). These maintain pneumatic and hydraulic control during all phases of heating to ensure that the contaminants of concern (COCs) are effectively captured and removed from the treatment zone and unwanted mobilization and spreading are prevented.
Once recovered, the COCs must be removed from the vapor and liquid streams for proper disposal. In this fourth webinar in our series titled “The Nuts and Bolts of Thermal Remediation,” we will look at how vapor and liquid extraction and treatment systems are designed.
Presenter Steffen Griepke will draw on his experience to cover:
- Choosing the right treatment technologies for specific COCs and mass levels.
- Special considerations for treating PFAS and 1,4-dioxane.
- The fundamental components of ISTR treatment systems.
- Selecting appropriate materials for vapor manifolds and treatment equipment.
- The role of the mass and energy balance in sizing equipment and in managing the cooling and heating loads.
- Effective strategies for handling non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) recovered from the treatment zone or condensed out in the vapor manifold and equipment.
Key Steps for Installation of Thermal Remediation Systems
May 28, 2025 | 10:00 AM Pacific / 1:00 PM Eastern
As the design of your thermal remediation project nears completion, it is time to start planning for system installation and construction. In the 5th webinar of our six-part series, “The Nuts and Bolts of Thermal Remediation,” we will cover the key steps to ensure a successful wellfield installation and system construction program.
We will discuss what’s needed to prepare your site for safe and efficient drilling and well installation, including:
- Utility locating
- Clearing and abandonment
- Rig access and sequence planning
- Managing overhead utilities
- Drilling inside buildings
- Investigation Derived Waste (IDW) screening and handling
- Oversight and logging
- Opportunities to collect contaminant data and refine the site CSM during installation
Additionally, we will cover the essential aspects of installing the extraction and treatment systems, along with the power supply equipment. This includes materials and equipment off-loading and staging, determining equipment size and location, placing the power drop, primary transformer, and power distribution and control panels; and managing any site access challenges.
Monitoring and Evaluating Thermal Remediation Operations
June 25, 2025 | 10:00 AM Pacific / 1:00 PM Eastern
Join us for the final session of our 6-part series, "The Nuts and Bolts of Thermal Remediation." In this session, we will cover the critical components for achieving successful thermal remediation operations:
- Startup Procedures: Best practices for initiating your thermal remediation project.
- Operational Tasks: Key insights into monitoring, controlling, and troubleshooting heating, extraction, and treatment systems.
- Data-Driven Decisions: How to leverage data collection, processing, and visualization to optimize system performance.
- Defining Success: The importance of setting clear project objectives and using KPIs to measure success.
Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your thermal remediation expertise and wrap up our comprehensive series with practical strategies and knowledge!
Past Webinars
Application of ERH and SEE to Address Complex Geology and High Groundwater Flux Zones to Treat a PCE DNAPL Source Zone
Thermal remediation at sites with complex geologies where there are both high and low groundwater flow zones requires innovative engineering and a multi-technology approach to achieve success. The Hamilton/Labree Roads superfund site presented such challenges, including a PCE DNAPL source zone beneath a road and a creek, complex hydrogeologic conditions, and high groundwater flux zones. In this webinar John LaChance, VP of Development at TerraTherm will cover:
- Detailed Site Model: Understand the importance of a detailed conceptual site model (CSM) and site lithology in designing an effective remedy.
- Comprehensive Approach: Learn how multiple technologies were integrated to tackle the site’s unique complexities and achieve the remedial objectives safely and effectively.
- Technological Implementation: Discover how 49 steam injection wells (SIWs) and 82 ERH electrodes were used to effectively heat the site, and how a variety of extraction systems were used to maintain pneumatic and hydraulic control.
- Innovative Solutions: Explore the engineered solutions used to protect the creek, including an insulated channel and continuous temperature monitoring.
- Proven Results: Review the outcomes of the remediation process, including achieving soil concentration goals and removing over 7,800 lbs of contaminants.
Join us for an in-depth session into the lessons learned during the design, construction, and operation phases of this successful thermal remediation project. Gain valuable insights from real-world applications and understand how to address the challenges of complex geologic systems with high groundwater flux zones.
Over the past 20 years, John has become a leading expert in thermal remediation technologies. He helps clients select the right technology to effectively and efficiently remediate their sites, meet regulations, and ultimately enable property reuse. With over 50 successful in situ thermal remediation projects, John brings a wealth of technical and strategic insight to the thermal remediation field.
ISTR in Complex Geologic Settings with Highly Variable Permeabilities and High Groundwater Flux Zones
Complex geologies with highly permeable zones can cause significant challenges while heating the subsurface during in situ thermal treatment, and those challenges pose a serious threat to your project’s success. It is critical to have a detailed conceptual site model (CSM) and a proper understanding of the site’s lithology before choosing the technologies and designing the remedy that will best address the contaminant(s), the site’s unique complexities, and the outcomes demanded by state and federal guidance.
In this pre-recorded webinar, thermal expert John LaChance discusses:
- The characteristics and types of areas with high permeability and complex geological structures.
- The impact of these conditions on the effectiveness of thermal cleanup methods
- Examples of successful thermal cleanup projects in challenging geological settings.
The Fate of PFAS During Thermal Remediation
Is it possible to remediate PFAS contaminants? Our research and experience indicate that it is indeed possible using high-temperature thermal remediation, although there are important factors to consider to ensure complete removal and treatment of not only target PFAS but also non-target PFAS such as precursors. In this webinar, we dive into the science of using thermal remediation to treat soil contaminated with PFAS and explore the use of our proven high-temperature thermal remediation technology, where soil temperatures ranging from 350 to 500 degrees Celsius are maintained to achieve stringent cleanup levels. Through our research, which we will share during the webinar, we were able to close the fluorine mass balance and determine the fate of the PFAS compounds during thermal treatment. This allowed us to assess the effectiveness of high-temperature thermal remediation on the removal of PFAS from soil and to design appropriate off-gas treatment systems to ensure that the potential to emit both target and non-target PFAS, including fluorinated hydrocarbons like CF4 and other significant greenhouse gasses, are appropriately managed.
Grab your popcorn and push play for one of the year’s more informative and interesting on-demand webinars!
ISTR Challenges Part 2: Electrical Resistance Heating and Steam Enhanced Extraction
Thermal Conduction Heating (TCH), Electrical Resistance Heating (ERH) and Steam Enhanced Extraction (SEE) are widely used thermal technologies capable of effectively remediating a variety of chemicals in various varying subsurface settings, yet sometimes operations do not perform as planned. An experienced thermal remediation contractor can help you anticipate and address site-specific challenges during full-scale thermal projects.
Presented by Vice President of Development, John LaChance and Vice President of Technology, Steffen Griepke, ISTR Challenges Part 2 covers some of the common issues that can arise at ERH and SEE sites, and discuss how they should be addressed. You’ll hear about scenarios involving
- significantly different soil electrical resistivities than planned
- slower than expected heat-up
- stray voltages and currents
- poor steam quality
- higher than expected mass removal rates
- lack of hydraulic control
- non-uniform steam delivery and heating
Join the discussion for insight to help avoid costly project delays in your next thermal project.
ISTR Challenges Part 1: Thermal Conductive Heating
In Situ Thermal Remediation (ISTR) is a widely used approach for treating highly contaminated source zones (e.g., DNAPL and LNAPL) at hazardous waste sites because of its reliability and effectiveness at removing a wide range of chemicals from a variety of geologic settings. As experienced consultants know, large scale remediation projects come with unique challenges.
Vice President of Development, John LaChance, and Senior Technologist, Erin Hauber, are here to share some of the lessons learned from implementing thermal conductive heating (TCH) at more than 80 sites including:
- unexpected COCs and increased mass
- higher groundwater flux than expected
- materials selection for sites with highly corrosive COCs
- how to handle highly flammable COCs in the vapor treatment system
- mitigating vapor intrusion issues that may arise during treatment
Join the discussion for insight to help avoid costly project delays in your next thermal project. There will be time for questions at the end, so bring the thermal remediation questions you’ve never had a chance to ask.
ISTR in Fractured Bedrock
Treating fractured bedrock is complex, and effective remedial options are limited. Due to the fractured nature of rock, contamination can migrate deep, and pathways out of the bedrock system are limited.
Using thermal technologies is one of the most effective and reliable methods of treating fractured bedrock.
In this flash webinar, presenters Steffen Griepke and John LaChance, (VPs of Technology and Development, respectively) discuss the treatment of bedrock source zones, including:
- The challenges of removing CVOCs and DNAPL from fractured rock
- The pros and cons of the most common thermal treatment technologies in bedrock settings
- Design considerations and field implementation challenges
This recorded webinar will include examples and results from bedrock sites successfully remediated using thermal. Steffen and John will also share highlights from a completed project—the world’s deepest thermal remediation project in crystalline rock, treated to a total depth of 170 ft.
If you are involved in the evaluation or remediation of any bedrock sites, this is a webinar you want to watch.
ISTR and Subsidence Risks
More and more frequently, In Situ Thermal Remediation (ISTR) is being used to treat contaminations located below buildings, roadways, and other critical infrastructure. Subsidence and potential geotechnical effects on buildings and infrastructure are concerns often raised in the initial design phase of a thermal remedy.
While the heating approach and main heating mechanisms differ based on the ISTR technology utilized, heating in general will thermally expand the soils treated and at the same time, change the saturation of the treated volume due to boil-off of some of the water. Depending on the geology, this can lead to changes in the geotechnical integrity.
In this flash webinar, the basics factors affecting the geotechnical properties during a thermal remedy will be discussed, along with a general description of soil types where subsidence is more likely to happen. Examples of geotechnical pre-investigations and tests utilized to determine the impact of a structure’s stability will be given along with case studies showing data from thermal areas remediated below structures.
In Situ Thermal Remediation of High Boiling Point Chemicals
The treatment of sites with recalcitrant contaminants such as PFAS, PCBs, dioxins and PAHs can feel daunting. Fortunately, there’s an effective solution for high-boiling point chemicals – In Situ Thermal Remediation (ISTR).
In this flash webinar, TerraTherm thermal experts Sam Nienstedt, Technologist, and Steffen Griepke, Vice President of Technology, will provide a brief overview of thermal remediation and share how ISTR can remove or destroy subsurface contaminants. They explain why thermal conductive heating (TCH) is the primary ISTR technology for remediation of high boiling point chemicals. They will also discuss important design do’s and don’ts for a successful remedy, common ISTR myths, and typical costs.
There will be time for questions at the end, so bring your questions about using thermal remediation to treat hard-to-treat contaminants. This flash webinar is scheduled for 30 minutes.
Recalcitrant Contamination: Challenges, Pitfalls and Learnings from 20 High-Temperature Projects
Recalcitrant chemicals like PAH, PCB’s, Dioxins, PFAS, and Mercury, are hard to treat using traditional remediation methods. Sites with these contaminants are nearly unaffected even by thermal treatments at the boiling point of water. However, when we use our Thermal Conductive Heating technology, we can reach target temperatures well above 300 °C and thereby treat these persistent compounds. Join our free webinar, where the experienced team of TerraTherm and KrugerVeolia experts will discuss:
- Where high-temperature remediation is applicable
- Which chemicals can be targeted
- What results can be achieved
- Tailoring of implementation approaches and specific sites examples
- In situ and ex-situ case study examples.
Doing high-temperature remediation is not a simple task but done correctly, you can reach amazing results. We will touch on challenges, pitfalls and lessons based on our 20 successfully completed high-temperature project.
What You Need To Know About Thermal Remediation For MGP Sites
When a manufactured gas plant (MGP) site is identified for treatment, the typical remediation approach can be expensive and involve hazards for crews and the community. Any time you excavate contaminated soil and transport it for treatment or disposal, you are introducing potential safety and liability issues.
Luckily, in situ thermal remediation (ISTR) is often a safe and cost-competitive alternative.
In this webinar, Vice President of Thermal Technology John LaChance will briefly introduce the primary ISTR technologies, their applicability, and their primary removal mechanisms at MGP sites. He will discuss the key design considerations for varying conditions and remedial goals, and present a real-life example of an MGP site that was recently remediated with ISTR – including analysis and discussion of the potential role in situ smoldering may play at some sites in the removal of creosote/coal tar. John will also cover projects where the goal was not complete removal but volatilization of the low boiling point compounds and in situ immobilization of the high boiling point compounds, such as heavier range TPH and PAHs.