device and method for removal of impurities from finely ground soil, silt and clay

摘要

The disclosure of this application relates to a method and apparatus for removing a variety of contaminants from soil, sediment, fine sand and clay. The disclosure describes an apparatus in which contaminated material that is comprised of particles having a size less than about 5 mm in diameter are injected from a nozzle (231) into a zone of discharge from one or a number of nozzles (500). These nozzles (500) are positioned to discharge liquid or cleaning fluid at a pressure from about 2000 psi to about 20,000 psi. The cleaned material is then collected and separated into liquid and solid phases. The solids, when cleaned by the use of this apparatus, can then be returned to the site without danger of contamination of the surrounding area and no disposal costs are incurred for disposition of contaminated soil.