In Ambler, Pennsylvania and the surrounding townships, the issue of asbestos contamination has been a problem for decades. On March 25th, Dale Timmons, President of ARI Technologies, spoke to a large crowd at the Ambler Theater about the process of thermochemical conversion, which may the answer that Ambler residents have been looking for.
Thermochemical conversion involves the utilization of chemicals and heat on what Timmons calls a “rotary hearth” to convert asbestos into “volcanic minerals,” which could later be used as construction aggregate (generally, sand or gravel or mixed with water and cement to form mortar or concrete).
According to the ARI Technologies website, “thermochemical treatment results in the permanent destruction of organic materials. The presence of the demineralizing agents accelerates molecular diffusion in inorganic waste during heating. This molecular diffusion results in destruction of inorganic compounds, such as asbestos.”
The value in thermochemical conversion, stated Timmons, is that the end product – called “volcanic minerals” – can be reused.
Asbestos materials would be converted within an air-locked building that would be constructed over contaminated areas in Ambler and the surrounding townships. In addition to converting asbestos materials into reusable resources, Timmons told residents that ARI Technologies would also conduct extensive air quality monitoring at the site, and would sample the air and soil for contamination after the conversion process took place.
Thermochemical conversion is an approved method of asbestos decontamination and is recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA has yet to “support” the use of thermochemical conversion in Ambler or nearby Whitpain and Upper Dublin, PA.
The costs associated with thermochemical conversion would be about $135 per ton of contaminated material. Timmons said that funding would likely be provided by the federal government. ARI Technologies estimated that approximately 150 to 300 tons of soil would have to be converted each day, and that the operation would be required to run 24-hours per day. To process the million tons of contaminated soil in this area, according to Timmons, would take about ten years.
The process of thermochemical conversion is effective, said Timmons, but also said that it would almost impossible to get “every last piece of asbestos” from the Ambler site.
According to Ambler Councilwoman Judy Baigis, EPA has plans to cover and cap the contaminated areas, and many residents, including Baigis, worry that this will not be enough to prevent asbestos from becoming airborne.
“This is the first believable project, because what the EPA is doing right now I believe is a danger to the community,” said Baigis.
If ARI Technologies settles in the Ambler area and begins converting contaminated soil, about 20 new jobs could be created. Before the process could begin, funding would have to be secured and the thermochemical conversion equipment – a Rotary Hearth, Secondary Thermal Oxidation Unit and a Product Discharge System – would have to be brought in to the site.
Exposure to asbestos is the only confirmed cause of pleural mesothelioma cancer, a rare and fatal disease that is diagnosed in approximately 2,500 Americans annually. In Ambler, many residents have reported asbestos-related respiratory illnesses.
A meeting will be held tonight, April 1st, at 6:30 pm at the Upper Dublin Township building. Residents who are concerned about the asbestos contamination and have questions about efforts to decontaminate the affected areas are encouraged to attend.
For additional information regarding asbestos exposure and the associated health concerns, please visit the Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center website.
