Description/Design

The Microenfractionator® is a field size soil-mixing unit that is unique to the environmental industry due to its homogenizing capabilities.

The Microenfractionator® straddles an excavated soil pile, or windrow, with dimensions up to 18 feet wide, 6 ½ feet high. Homogenization is achieved with a single counter-rotating drum assembly, which turns at six hundred RPM. This drum assembly supports a set of seventy-four fan-knife-blades. These blades are engineered to cause maximum soil particle fracturing while displacing up to 40,000 cubic feet of air per minute. The blending process is quite violent and results in the breakup of even the stickiest soil clumps

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The unit is self-trailering and can be transported to a job site using an ordinary class-8 tractor. In its trailer configuration, the machine is 42 feet long, 9 feet wide, 13 feet four inches tall and weighs nearly 41,000 lbs. Upon arrival, a single operator can quickly convert it to operational mode.

Function

The Microenfractionator® expands the boundaries of (bio) remediation by homogenizing the soil being treated thus allowing soil contaminants to come in direct contact with microorganisms. Concentrated areas of chemical contaminants need to be broken up and mixed into the soil to eliminate the probability of localized toxic zones. These toxic zones or hot spots within the soil matrix can reduce the chances of complete degradation. The Microenfractionator® is capable of homogenizing the soil being treated to between 85-95% consequently distributing the organisms, contaminant and any nutrients applied to wet or dry soil. The Microenfractionator® accomplishes this by entraining individual soil particles into colliding air streams. The action causes a violent mixing action that hyper-aerates the soil.
Most bioremediation projects rely on aerobic organisms to degrade the contaminants. The Microenfractionator® displaces over 40,000 cubic feet of air per minute of operation to the soil with much of this air being trapped within the soil pile as an oxygen source.
The combination of thorough homogenization on a small particle level with hyper aeration renders the Microenfractionator® a very valuable tool for (bio) remediation. One client described it this way:
"This process works by providing the optimal conditions for organisms that are naturally present in the soil -- primarily aerobic and sometimes anaerobic bacteria -- to come out of their dormant state, to then grow and multiply and, in turn, consume hydrocarbon contaminants. In this process the contaminated soil is microenfractionated, hydrated, and supplemented with oxygen and select Agronomically Correct® nutrients and trace minerals to promote optimum biological growth of these beneficial organisms."

Capabilities
The Microenfractionator® is capable of treating up to 1200 cubic yards of soil per hour. For petroleum fuel contaminated soils, advanced bioremediation with the Microenfractionator® may be the most economical. For contaminants of a more recalcitrant nature, such as chlorinated hydrocarbons, multiple-ring PAH compounds, TNT, pesticides and wood preservative compounds, Solid State Chemical Oxidation™ or reductive chemistry methods may be the best option for destruction of these contaminants.

A surfactant such as Simple Green® can be utilized in (bio) remediation to improve the contaminant-water interface. This function makes the contaminant bio-available to the microorganisms utilized for the remediation. The surfactant also alters the physical structure of some contaminants to assist in the bioavailability of the contaminant.

Design Advantages

Because of its design, the Microenfractionator® has proven to be able to do the following in large-scale applications:

• homogenize the soil to within 85-95% homogenization
• eliminate areas of extremely high contaminate levels throughout the soil
• generate dynamic counter-rotating air vortices, thoroughly mixing the soil, contaminants, chemicals, catalysts or other amendments and air for maximum mass transfer
• facilitate soil gas exchange, which will decrease remediation time as well as reduce chemical requirements
• entrain more fresh air into the soil -- powerful airflow entrains, mixes and hyper-aerates the soil
• hyperventilate and microenfractionate® 1200 cubic yards of soil per hour
• greatly reduce the required frequency of mixing due to the thorough stirring capabilities of the Microenfractionator®
• economical to operate on a per cubic yard basis

Microenfractionation®

The Process
Microenfractionation® is the term used for mixing soil with the Microenfractionator® or the Mini Microenfractionator®. However, given it is more than simple mixing, a description of this process follows:

Microenfractionation® is a combination of homogenization, particle size reduction and aeration of soil. As the HH Microenfractionator® straddles a static soil pile of specific dimensions, the soil is entrained into air streams that displace over 40,000 cubic feet of air per minute.

The airflow is basically multi-directional, causing intense collisions of soil particles. The combination of soil entrainment into multidirectional airflow patterns is very efficient in homogenizing the soil. The increase in surface area in conjunction with the thorough homogenization greatly increases the likelihood that any soil amendments and chemical contaminants will make contact with each other.

Telephone: 509-427-7353
Fax: 509-427-3627
E-Mail: technology@hheco.com