What are the differences in soil thermal conductivity vs. soil electrical conductivity?
While certain claims are made that soil thermal conductivity only varies by a factor of 25 and that soil electrical conductivity varies by over three orders of magnitude, the claim is both completely true and completely misleading. A site that is tidally influenced by the ocean might be 1000 times more electrically conductive than a mountainous site with high rainfall. TRS designs its remediation equipment with the flexibility to treat the entire range of electrical conductivities – neither end of the conductivity range is either more difficult or easier to remediate. However, at any one site the electrical conductivity will typically vary by only a factor of about 2. Most of this variation is caused by the anaerobic decomposition of chlorinated VOCs – a process that increases the local conductivity and attracts current for faster heating.
