AbstractA new process for remediation of organics‐contaminated soils and sludges has been developed. The process consists of a soil dryer and a gas separation system. The dryer heats the soil indirectly to 200–450°C in a rotary kiln, volatilizing the water and organic contaminants. No oxygen is present, and no organic destruction or incineration occurs. The dry treated soil discharged from the dryer is used for backfill at the site. The gas separation system condenses and collects the volatilized contaminants. The vapors are first sent to a water spray scrubber to remove the dust, then are cooled with heat exchangers to about 4°C to condense the water and organics. The water is treated and used to wet the cleaned soil or discharged, as appropriate, while the organics are shipped offsite for later treatment. Most of the remaining gas is reheated and recycled to the dryer. The gas not recycled is cleaned and vented. Development has progressed from laboratory and pilot units to a full commercial scale unit capable of processing 115 metric tons per day of soil with 20 moisture. Soil contaminants effectively removed include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated hydroca
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