How Can I Heat Mud to High Temperatures on a Large Scale Without Machinery?

[laurat]

I wanted some ideas on how to heat mud to very high temperatures to kill off some unwanted organisms living in it. A roofing torch used for 2.5 seconds on a 2ftx2ft area worked really well, but now I want to heat up mud to high temperatures on a much larger scale. One idea: an asphalt heater (aka heat deck or asphalt patcher). Problem: getting the machine to maneuver on mud. Second idea: a large heating blanket where a heating element made into a grid pattern is placed directly on the mud to heat it up. Problems: How long would that take? Would it be too fragile? How would you power such a thing? Would it be too dangerous? Third idea: a blanket filled with combustibles that will be lit up and allowed to burn. Problems: What chemicals to use? Is it safe? Will it be costly? Another problem is heating up areas around rocks. We've got some rocky intertidal areas with boulders. We'd prefer to not have to hire machines to move these rocks. Maybe some sort of heating element that can be threaded around the rocks would work?

 

[laurat]

I forgot to add that I'm only interested in heating the top 4cm of mud.

 

[Studiot]

Steam

 

[brainstorm]

There's a gardening trick I read about where you put translucent visqueen over the plot for a few weeks before planting. It's supposed to kill any fungus and other potential pests. I don't know if this would create enough heat to fulfill your needs, but sunlight can generate quite a lot.

 

[Danger]

Laurat, it will be most helpful if you elaborate upon what you mean by "a much larger scale". 10' by 10'? 20' x 20'? 500 acres? That can make a huge difference as to what is or is not practical.