An apparatus for the continuous treatment of soils contaminated with volatile and nonvolatile hydrocarbon contaminants, said apparatus biodegrading said volatile and nonvolatile hydrocarbon contaminants thereby rendering said soils environmentally safe, said apparatus comprising:
- an enclosed primary vessel having a removable top and a bottom, said enclosed primary vessel being adapted to receive and hold said contaminated soils so as to allow said hydrocarbon contaminants to be removed from the soils within said enclosed vessel;
- a plurality of evenly spaced air diffusers positioned at the bottom of said enclosed vessel;
- first pumping means for providing moist air to said enclosed vessel and for forcing said moist air through said air diffusers in an upward direction through said enclosed vessel so as to remove said volatile hydrocarbon contaminants from said soils;
- a plurality of evenly spaced air intakes positioned at the top of said enclosed vessel;
- second pumping means for withdrawing said moist air including said volatile hydrocarbon contaminants from said enclosed vessel through said air intakes;
- a vapor phase bioreactor connected to said second pumping means for removing said volatile hydrocarbon contaminants from said moist air withdrawn from said enclosed vessel;
- a granular activated carbon filter connected to said vapor phase bioreactor for absorbing any remaining hydrocarbon contaminants from said moist air withdrawn from said enclosed vessel;
- said granular activated carbon filter having an air exhaust pipe, said granular activated carbon filter expelling environmentally safe non-polluted air through said air exhaust pipe;
- a plurality of evenly spaced water jets positioned at the bottom of said enclosed vessel;
- third pumping means connected to said enclosed vessel for providing water to said enclosed vessel and for forcing water provided to said enclosed vessel through said water jets in an upward direction through said enclosed vessel so as to remove said nonvolatile hydrocarbon contaminants from said soils;
- first treatment tank means connected to said third pumping means for storing water to be provided to said enclosed vessel, said first treatment tank means having therein surfactants, said surfactants being added to the water stored within said first treatment tank means to allow the water provided to said enclosed vessel to penetrate and loosen said nonvolatile hydrocarbon contaminants from said soils, the water having said nonvolatile hydrocarbon contaminants added thereto forming a supernatant, said supernatant being formed within said vessel above said contaminanted soils and below said evenly spaced air intakes, said supernatant including oil sludge;
- second treatment tank means connected to said enclosed vessel;
- fourth pumping means connected to said second treatment tank means for withdrawing said supernatant from said enclosed vessel and providing said supernatant to said second treatment tank means, said oil sludge and heavy nonvolatile hydrocarbon contaminants within said supernatant settling to the bottom of said second treatment tank means;
- third treatment tank means connected to said fourth pumping means, said third treatment tank means having nutrients to effect biological growth of microorganisms within said nonvolatile hydrocarbon contaminants such that the remainder of said nonvolatile hydrocarbon contaminants are degraded and converted into a non-toxic condition;
- said third treatment tank means being connected to said first treatment tank means so as to return water treated within said second and third treatment tank means to said first treatment tank means.