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In-Situ Thermal Desorption Beneath an Occupied Office Building, Brussels, Belgium

Historic fuel oil contamination beneath the former Bayer Louise headquarters was treated with 33 heating wells, with the installation later reused as part of a geothermal system for the redeveloped building.

Treating Hydrocarbon Contamination Beneath an Occupied Office Building in Brussels

SITE DESCRIPTION

       Treated Volume

  350 m³ of contaminated soil (560 T)

          Thermal technology

   In-Situ Treatment (ISTD) 

       Main contaminant

TPH (hydrocarbons, mineral oil)

        Site challenges

Historic contamination (pre-1993) beneath a parking level (-3) of a large occupied office building, from two 20,000 l fuel tanks

        Project Timeline

2010



Heating well installation beneath an occupied office building in Brussels

SOLUTION

          Treatment Method

Coaxial heating tubes drilled to 7 m depth

          Treatment program

33 heating tubes, 15 natural-gas burners

         Contaminated Vapors Management

Not specified in source document

       Process control

Over 70 thermocouples · continuous emission monitoring (CO, CxHy, CO2, O2, NOx), remote-accessible data logging


In-situ thermal desorption equipment in the basement of the Brussels office building

RESULTS

✅         350 m³ of contaminated soil treated, reducing concentrations from 15,000 mg/kg to below the 300 mg/kg target.

✅          Remediation objectives achieved for client Pylos, with consultant Arcadis, in 25 days of heating

✅         Added value: part of the ISTD installation was reused as infrastructure for a geothermal heating/cooling system in the redeveloped building





Monitoring the thermal remediation works in the Brussels office building basement
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