Soil remediation and reclamation

Phytoremediation of lead-contaminated sites Soil remediation and reclamation Miscellaneous... 

Phytoremediation (see also grass strips) Aesthetic improvement Cleans soil, water and air Decreases pollutant bioavailability Decreases pollutant toxicity Decreases pollutant concentration Degrades organic pollutants Extracts metals from soils Low-cost remediation Socially-acceptable reclamation Al-Najar et al. (2005) Babula et al. (2009) Baraud et al. (2005) Harvey et al. (2002) Joner and Leyval (2009) Khan et al. (2009b) Morel et al. (1999) Rodriguez et al. (2005) Scholz et al. (2009) Wahid et al. (2009)... 

The MRU technology is not applicable to heavy-metal-contaminated soils nor to radioactive waste contamination. The one exception to heavy-metals remediation is mercury. The vaporization temperature for mercury is well within the operating range of the MRU, and because of closed chamber construction, it is ideally suited for the removal and reclamation of mercury from contaminated soil. 

Reference soil was collected in a reference site in Elorence (Italy). Real soil samples were collected in the Associated National Chemical Companies (ACNA) site (Cengio, SV, Italy). ACNA is a closed organic chemical industrial factory active since 1882 with the production of explosives (nitroglycerin, dynamite, and trinitrotoluene), paints, nitric and sulphuric acids, phenols, and amines, with serious levels of contamination of soil and surface waters, where a remediation and bonification plan started in 1999. The serious enviromnental contamination of this area determined its inclusion in the list of national priorities for enviromnental reclamation. The sampling was performed from the soil layers (0-30 cm) in a specific ACNA site, called hill n°5, on March 2003. The hill was made of waste from the industry accumulated during the years and was divided into four zones zone 1 with low contamination level zone 2 with pseudoreference zone 3 with moderate pollution level, and zone 4 with high ecological risk. 

Several soil treatments and remedial works can be identified for land reclamation projects. Most of these treatments should be accompanied by an appropriate drainage control to prevent (further) development of sinkholes. 

The Advanced Environmental Services, Inc. (AESI), soil reclamation facility, American SoU Processing, in Marion, Iowa, includes on-site soil storage capacity and soU processing equipment. The Cedarapids soU remediation system (manufactured by Ratheon Company) used by AESI to treat contaminated soils by low-temperature thermal desorption is similar to that used by another vendor. See also Carlo Environmental Technologies, Inc., medium-temperature thermal desorption (T0142). 

Bearehaven Reclamation, Inc. (Bearehaven), in situ bioremediation is a proprietary technology for the treatment of organic contaminants. According to the vendor, the process can readily remediate trichloroethylene (TCE), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), diesel fuel, and other more complex organic compounds in soil, water, sludge, and landfills. 

Tmovsky, M. Oxer, J.P. Rudy, R.J. Hanchak, M.J. Hartsfield, B. Site Remediation of Heavy Metals Contaminated Soils and Groundwater at a Form Battery Reclamation Site in Florida, In Hazardous Waste, Detection, Control, Treatmeru Abbou, R., Ed. Elsevier Science Publishers, B.V. Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1988 pp 1581-1590. 

Quality control can also be executed by monitoring the behaviour of the reclamation. The settlement of the fill can, for example, be measured on a regular basis after placement of the material. Interpretation of this time-settlement behaviour will demonstrate whether a specified residual settlement after construction will be satisfied or not. If necessary it can be decided to timely undertake remedial measures. Other aspects of monitoring are related to horizontal soil deformations near a slope or existing structures and the dissipation of excess pore pressures in soft subsoil underneath a fill. 

---