Contaminated aquatic sediments.

Abstract

The remediation of contaminated aquatic sediments requires a range of expertise from assessment (investigation, risk evaluations, modeling, and remedy selection) to design and construction. Research in 2019 has added to knowledge on optimizing the use of passive samplers for assessing chemical concentrations in sediment porewater. The porewater and black carbon appear to be better predictors of contaminant bioaccumulation than total organic carbon alone. This has led to better characterization of potential risk at sediment sites. Tools to identify and model sources of chemicals have been developed and used particularly for some metals, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls. There is great emphasis on beneficially using dredged sediment, treating it as a resource rather than a waste. Amendments used in sediment caps continue to be refined including the use of activated carbon within the caps and by itself. A technique involving 16S rRNA has been established as a means of identifying microbiological composition that naturally degrade contaminants. © 2020 Water Environment Federation PRACTITIONER POINTS: Sediment capping technology continues to advance Sampling and testing methods continue to be refined Natural processes such as biodegradation are being better understood Beneficial use of dredged sediment continue to be emphasized.