A ceremony to officially put a thermal desorption system into operation took place at the Da Nang International Airport on Saturday.  It was part of the “Removal of Dioxin Contamination” project at the airport, which is being jointly implemented by the Vietnamese Ministry of Defence and the US Agency for International Development.  In attendance at the event were the President pro tempore of the US Senate, Senator Patrick Leahy, the Deputy Defence Minister, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, the US Ambassador to Viet Nam, Mr David Shear, and the Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, Mr Nguyen Ngoc Tuan.

Pressing a button to start the thermal desorption process

About 45,000m³ of excavated dioxin-contaminated soil and sediment, which is stored in chests, will be burned at a minimum temperature of 335⁰ C.  As a result, about 95% of the dioxin will be totally destroyed.  Meanwhile, the remaining dioxin, which is unable to decompose, will be collected and fractionated into either a liquid or steam state.  Through the treatment of the liquids and gases, the volume of toxic chemicals including dioxin will be maintained at a safe level.  The excavation of dioxin-contaminated soil and sediment has been taking place since February. 

Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Defence Minister Vinh, affirmed that the environmental remediation project at the airport highlights the great efforts made by the Vietnamese government along with support from the USA.  He added that the success of this meaningful project will help Viet Nam overcome post-war consequences as well as enhance cooperative ties between the two countries in the future.

For his part, Vice Chairman Tuan stressed that the project will help to reduce the risk of surface water and groundwater being exposed to the toxic defoliant in order to ensure the safety of local residents living around the dioxin hotspot, and in the city as a whole.  In addition, the removal of dioxin contamination will help Da Nang to effectively implement the “Building Da Nang into an Environmentally-friendly City” project.