Management Of Contaminated Sites Research Articles

The Role of Procedure Duration in the Sustainability Assessment of Contaminated Site Management in Italy

The European Union (EU) has placed a strong focus on soil contamination and remediation in its Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection, emphasizing the critical need for comprehensive soil data at the EU level. To effectively support EU soil management strategies, it is necessary to develop soil-related indicators and standardized datasets across all EU member states. However, the lack of standardized methodologies for estimating the time required for contaminated site remediation is a dilemma in Italy and throughout Europe. This study examines statistical data on the time-consuming nature of the contaminated site remediation process in Italy. In fact, early intervention not only simplifies site remediation but also reduces long-term financial obligations such as monitoring costs and potential legal implications. This study categorized data according to remedial procedures, explored different management phases, and revealed different timescales for completing the procedure. The findings show that processes completed after preliminary investigations are often shorter in time than those completed following conceptual model assessments. In contrast, processes that require corrective measures typically take a longer period of time to complete. Notably, remedial interventions tend to have a shorter duration compared to risk management interventions. Furthermore, procedures that address both soil and groundwater contamination generally require more time compared to those that focus only on soil remediation. This study provides valuable insight into the time-consuming aspects of remediation procedures, recommending potential changes to regulatory frameworks to accelerate site remediation activities.

Mechanism insight into highly efficient stabilization of Cd contaminated soils by steam flash heating

Soil cadmium (Cd) contamination is a world-wide challenge and chemical stabilization is the most used remediation strategy. To solve the disadvantages of high stabilizer dosage and cost, we innovated a cost-efficient steam flash heating (SFH) approach to chemically immobilize Cd in contaminated soils, which introduced high-pressure saturated water vapor into soil microstructure, broke their binding with soil particles and accelerated Cd reactions with stabilizers by ultrafast pressure release. Using calcium dihydrogen phosphate, potassium hydrogen phosphate or calcium carbonate as stabilizer, Cd stabilization efficiency was 10.4%, 13.4% and 17.1% higher by SFH than conventional chemical stabilization, and the lowest Cd content in leachate was 0.61 mg/L. Additionally, SFH approach averagely reduced 50.1 ± 7.29% of stabilizer dosage, 34.1% of cost, and 29.9% of CO2 emission. BCR sequential extraction results suggested that acid extractable Cd was preferentially transformed into residual Cd by SFH. Analysis of X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) documented that SFH treatment produced more stable Cd-minerals of Cd3(PO4)2, CaCO3-Cd, and CdCO3. Our findings proved the state-of-the-art SFH approach and uncovered its mechanisms to stabilize Cd in contaminated soils, offering a green and cost-efficient remediation alternative for heavy metal contaminated site management.

Multidisciplinary analysis on contaminated sites management. Towards more sustainable groundwater remediations

Multidisciplinary analysis on contaminated sites management. Towards more sustainable groundwater remediations

Application of a novel multi-criteria decision analysis approach for evaluating the sustainability of contaminated site management: An example from China

The performance of contaminated site management in terms of its sustainability can be inherently uncertain, considering that this performance depends not only on individual site characteristics and variability, but also on integrated (and potentially long-term) environmental, social, economic and technical impacts. The present study proposes a combination weights-based TOPSIS model (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution), following a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach, to quantitatively analyze the most influential measures and indices over the entire life cycle of contaminated site management (from site investigation to land reuse) in China. Results indicate that the sustainability performance of different sites varies widely due to differences in the best management practices (BMPs) implemented. Environmental dimensions in strategy design and remediation implementation processes contribute most to the overall sustainability performance when whole life-cycle management is considered, with social dimensions relatively under-emphasised. Based on a sensitivity analysis of the TOPSIS method, random variations of indices' weights did not result in significant alteration of the modelled sustainability performance of the evaluated sites, which indicates that the method provides a relatively robust approach. The MCDA approach developed enables stakeholders to adopt optimal BMPs for risk control and to enhance sustainability performance in contaminated site management, covering the whole life cycle of site remediation and redevelopment, although further work is required to determine its international applicability.

Construction and analysis of knowledge graphs for multi‐source heterogeneous data of soil pollution

AbstractThe decommissioning and overall relocation of urban industrial enterprises have generated a large number of decommissioned contaminated sites, and the leftover soil pollution is gradually becoming a major problem that restricts urban green development and damages human health. Deep mining and efficient management of site soil pollution information through digitization and informatization are needed to solve these problems more accurately and efficiently. Knowledge mapping for visual analysis of relevant pathways is a forward‐looking approach in soil contamination management that does not require complex testing instruments, thus saving research manpower, time and cost. Data associated with contaminated sites come from a wide range of sources and have different structures. Through the natural language processing technology of computer, suitable methods such as entity recognition, relationship recognition and knowledge fusion are selected to extract various types of information from contaminated sites and establish semantic networks for fast targeting of soil contamination sources, thus providing a more convenient solution. In this paper, we propose a knowledge graph construction method for multi‐source heterogeneous data of contaminated sites, find sulphide contamination sources through visual analysis of knowledge graph and explore the application prospects of natural language processing techniques such as knowledge graph in contaminated site management.

International approaches to contamination management: Introduction to the RemTech Europe 2021 Special Series.

Soil is a nonrenewable resource, and groundwater is a critical source of drinking water. Effective soil and water protection, assessment and, if affected, recovery from contamination are priorities around the world; eco-friendly interventions in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are favored objectives. These issues were discussed during the sixth RemTech Europe conference (https://www.remtechexpo.com/it/remtech-europe/remtech-europe), which focused on sustainable technologies for land and water remediation; environmental protection; and the rehabilitation, regeneration, and sustainable development of contaminated sites, encouraging diverse stakeholders to share cutting-edge technologies, case studies, and innovation. Effective, practical, and sustainable management of remediation is only possible if the projects are completed, which is supported when the participants start the remediation planning with this end in mind. Several strategies to support and achieve the finalization of sustainable remediation processes were discussed at the conference. Addressing these gaps were among the goals of the papers included in this special series, which were selected from the RemTech EU conference presentations. The papers include risk management plan case studies, bioremediation tools, and preventive measures for minimizing disaster impacts. Moreover, the use of common and shared international best practices for effective and sustainable contaminated site management, with policy alignment among the remediation stakeholders in different countries, was also reported. Finally, many regulatory gaps, for example, the lack of practical end-of-waste criteria for contaminated soils, were also discussed. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;00:1-3. © 2023 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

O que faz uma comunicação de risco ser eficiente? A visão dos envolvidos

Abstract Environmental risk communication comprises an essential step in contaminated sites management, being one of its basic principles. However, there are few studies and technical guidelines on how to perform risk communication. This research aimed to identify the main factors that can contribute to efficient risk communication from the stakeholders’ perspective: those affected or potentially affected by the risks, representatives of institutions responsible for risk communication, environmental agencies, and consultants. To achieve that, the Q technique, a methodology specialized in the study of people and their subjectivities, was applied to 24 individuals. Five factors representing the stakeholders’ perspectives were identified: 1 - Trust; 2 - Secure communication; 3 - Dialogue; 4 - Partnership; and 5 - Health, in addition to a set of consensual information between all groups. Concern for the health of those involved was the most important point of view for most participants.

Portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF) as a Tool for Environmental Characterisation and Management of Mining Wastes: Benefits and Limits

Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) is one of the main geochemical techniques employed in multi-elemental analysis screening for contaminated sites management. As the confidence of pXRF analyses are matrix-specific, efforts are made to provide studies of pXRF quality on different geochemical datasets, focusing on less investigated elements such as mercury (Hg) and antimony (Sb), to help both new and experienced users. The analysis of environmental solid samples from two decommissioned mining sites in NE Italy, characterised by Pb-Zn and (Hg-rich) Cu-Sb ore deposits, were prepared with two different protocols and compared with traditional destructive analyses. Sample composition was found strictly dependent to the occurrence of false positives and overestimation at low concentrations. In contrast, milling the sample did not produce major variations in the overall quality. Lead (Pb), Sb, and Zn reached the definitive data quality in at least one of the two datasets. Consequently, as far as a thorough QA/QC protocol is followed, pXRF can rapidly produce chemical data that is as accurate as that produced by destructive standard laboratory techniques, thus allowing to identify potential sources of contamination that could be reprocessed for the extraction of valuable elements and mitigating the dispersion of contaminants and ecological or health risks.

Sustainable decision-making for contaminated site risk management: A decision tree model using machine learning algorithms

The presence of contaminated land is an inevitable legacy of industrial activity, and the management decisions governing reclamation of this land are key in minimizing environmental risk and allowing safe and effective land reuse. In this context, to predict the optimal remediation options for future decision-making processes in sustainable site management, thus enhancing information communication between stakeholders, 17 decision sensitivity parameters are analyzed in this study and their influence on the management patterns of contaminated sites identified with three decision tree (DT) algorithms including C4.5 (successor of Iterative Dichotomiser 3/ID 3), CHAID (Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection), and CART (Classification and Regression Trees), which is the first attempt to use artificial intelligence technology to predict strategy-based decision-making for contaminated site management. Based on four performance metrics (accuracy, precision, recall ratio and F1 score), CART-based DT model shows the highest prediction accuracy at an average value of 78.57%, which indicates a relatively credible decision simulation to assist in more efficient contaminated site management. With regard to specific factors and influence mechanisms on contaminated site management, the results demonstrate 7 recognition rules corresponding to 6 driving factors which have the greatest influence on the decision-making process. Long-term monitoring time, the type of land reuse and ex-situ performance are the most important factors in determining field implementation of cleanup activities. The built decision tree model and induced decision rules, once well-trained, can be relied on for a sustainable site management strategy as data become available at a new site.

The California GeoTracker Database: A Unique Public Resource for Understanding Contaminated Sites

AbstractData mining as a research tool requires access to high quality datasets. Investigation and cleanup of contaminated sites yield large amounts of monitoring data; however, historically, these data have not been available in large, consolidated datasets. The California GeoTracker web site and database is a public repository for a wide variety of information related to investigation and remediation of cleanup sites in California. Under California regulations, responsible parties must submit laboratory analytical results for environmental samples in electronic form along with reports and other information. The GeoTracker website also supports public access to the entire database of laboratory analytical results, which, for some sites, date back to 2001. This database includes approximately 285,000,000 analytical records for more than 50,000 contaminated and formerly contaminated sites in California. Because of the large volume of publicly‐available data, GeoTracker has been used as the primary data source for a number of data mining studies in the last 10 years. This article describes the GeoTracker origin story and how it has evolved to account for changes in regulatory priorities such as understanding vapor intrusion mechanisms and distribution of per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment, while maintaining database continuity. Finally, we review data mining projects that have utilized GeoTracker to better understand various aspects of contaminated site management. This review illustrates how long‐term commitment to collection and sharing of environmental data can support the general public and the regulatory and research communities.

A sustainability assessment-based methodology for the prioritization of contaminated site risk management options.

Contaminated site management is a multiple objective decision-making that generally involves different factors, such as performance of technology, environmental effects, cost, and social influence. In this study, we developed a sustainability assessment-based methodology for the prioritization of contaminated site risk management options. We integrate remediation sustainable assessment and redevelopment sustainable assessment in one framework and allow the optimization of indicators. The framework started with the definition of site management type, then investigating site characterization, screening indicators, quantifying of indicator, selecting assessment model, selecting primary options, assessment with uncertainty analysis, and determining of preferred options. To demonstrate the utility of the framework, results are presented in a contaminate site in southwest China for two risk management decisions, site remediation and site redevelopment. We used different approaches to evaluate the stability and robustness of assessment results, including Monte Carlo simulation, scenario analysis, and sensitivity analysis. The demonstration showed that attention has to be paid to the proper description of the site, the principles of the procedure, and the decision criteria.

Beneficial effects of dynamic groundwater flow and redox conditions on Natural Attenuation of mono-, poly-, and NSO-heterocyclic hydrocarbons

Natural Attenuation (NA) processes have been demonstrated to reduce pollutant loads at different contaminated groundwater sites world-wide and are increasingly considered in contaminated site management concepts. However, data are mainly available for steady state groundwater flow and stable redox conditions as well as pollutants listed in standard regulatory schemes. In this study, the influence of transient groundwater flow and redox conditions on NA was examined at a former gas works site near the river Rhine in Germany. The investigated 78 pollutants included 40 mono- and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (MAHs, PAHs) and 38 NSO-heterocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NSO-HET). In the highly polluted areas, the MAHs benzene, indene and indane, the PAHs naphthalene, acenaphthene, 1- and 2-methylnaphthalene and the NSO-HET 2-methylquinoline, carbazole, benzothiophene, dibenzofuran and benzofuran were predominant. Pollutant concentrations decreased with increasing distance from the sources of contamination. At the plume fringes, the MAHs benzene and indane, the PAH acenaphthene, the NSO-HET carbazole, 5-methylbenzothiophene, 2- and 3-methylbenzofuran and 2-methyldibenzofuran were predominant, indicating low retention and slow intrinsic biodegradation of these compounds. The influence of surface water on groundwater level, pollutant concentrations, and redox conditions in the monitoring wells was observed with a permanently installed groundwater sensor. The temporary availability of oxygen was observed at the plume fringes, resulting in aerobic and ferric iron reducing biodegradation processes. Field and laboratory data were used to set-up a groundwater flow and reactive transport model used for quantification of the field mass transfer rates. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that NA is effective under transient flow and redox conditions. A conceptual model and reactive transport simulation can facilitate the interpretation of pronounced fluctuations of pollutant concentration in monitoring wells. Based on the analysis of 78 pollutants, indane, indene and several NSO-HET like carbazole, benzothiophene and 2-methyldibenzofuran are recommended for monitoring at tar oil polluted sites, besides EPA-PAHs and BTEX.

Site-specific framework of sustainable practices for a Brazilian contaminated site case study

Management of contaminated sites requires application of remediation technologies to reduce environmental and human health risks, but these actions can also produce negative effects, such as energy and natural resources consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and impacts on local communities. The tenets of sustainability can be used to select sustainable alternatives in the environmental cleanup of these areas to reduce negative consequences and seek new solutions for site reuse. The present study evaluates seven case studies of contaminated sites to identify how sustainable practices were adopted at each site and how environmental, economic and social benefits were achieved. Based on this survey, an in-depth analysis of 48 sustainable management practices was conducted to assess interim actions and institutional controls at a contaminated site located on the campus of University of Sao Paulo (USP) in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The analysis involved a discussion about how future potential improvements to sustainable practices at the site could generate benefits and sustainable gains, such as improvement of quality of life of university students and surrounding communities; reduction of natural resource use, reduction of costs represented by the consumption of water and reduction of demand of potable water for society. The result of this analysis is a site-specific framework of 36 sustainable practices represented by a graphical approach with several examples that can be adopted during assessment and remediation on a case study basis, taking into account the needs and guidelines of the administration of the contaminated site. This approach can easily be adopted by the public and stakeholders who want to apply sustainable practices in other sites. The site-specific framework demonstrates how sustainable principles can be included in the process of contaminated sites management in an integrated process, meeting the needs and expectations of all affected stakeholders.

Supporting contaminated sites management with Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis: Demonstration of a regulation-consistent approach

This study proposes a set of key decision-making features of the contaminated site remediation process to assist in selecting the most appropriate decision support method(s). Using a case study consistent with the requirements of the U.S. regulation for contaminated sites management, this article shows that suitable Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis methods can be selected based on a dynamic and evolving problem structuring. The selected methods belong to the family of PROMETHEE methods and can provide ranking recommendations of the considered alternatives using variable structures of the criteria, evaluation of the alternatives and exploitation of the preference model. It was found that in order to support a quick and up-to-date application of powerful decision support techniques in the process of remediation of contaminated sites, decision analysts and stakeholders should interact and co-develop the process. This research also displays how such interactions can guarantee a transparent and traceable decision recommendation so that stakeholders can better understand why some alternatives perform comprehensively better than others when a multitude of inputs is used in the decision-making process.

Environmental Footprint Assessment of a Cleanup at Hypothetical Contaminated Site

Contaminated site management is currently a critical problem area all over the world, which opens a wide discussion in the areas of policy, research and practice at national and international levels. Conventional site management and remediation techniques are often aimed at reducing the contaminant levels to an acceptable level in a short period of time at low cost. Owing to the fact that the conventional approach may not be sustainable as it overlooks many ancillary environmental effects, there is an immense need of “sustainable” or “green” approaches. Green approaches address environmental, social and economic impacts throughout the remediation process and are capable of conserving the natural resources and protecting air, water and soil quality through reduced emissions and other waste burdens. This paper presents a methodology to quantify the environmental footprint of a cleanup for a hypothetical contaminated site by using the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Spreadsheet for Environmental Footprint Assessment (SEFA). The hypothetical contaminated site is selected from a metropolitan city of Pakistan and the environmental footprint of the cleanup is analyzed under three different scenarios: cleanup without any renewable energy sources at all, cleanup with a small share of renewable energy sources, and cleanup with a large share of renewable energy sources. It is concluded that integration of renewable energy sources into the remedial system design is a promising idea which can reduce CO2, NOx, SOx, PM and HAP emissions up to 68%.

How to work with petroleum hydrocarbon suppliers to reduce and eliminate contaminated site management and cleanup requirements

AbstractPetroleum hydrocarbon suppliers affect a mine's goals for environmental performance because of the extensive reach of petroleum hydrocarbon products into the mining and minerals product life cycle, their impact on operational efficiencies, cost, and mine viability, and their potential for leaving negative environmental as well as safety legacies. The supplied petroleum hydrocarbon life cycle is a framework that enables structured engagement between supplier and customer on a range of environmental performance issues because it is an example of input into the mining industry that affects the entire mining and minerals processing value chain. Engagement with suppliers in a proactive manner can be a risk management strategy. Questions for businesses to ask in relation to suppliers and their role in minimizing business risks and creating new value are offered.

Flux Chamber Measurements Should Play a More Important Role in Contaminated Site Management.

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVViewpointNEXTFlux Chamber Measurements Should Play a More Important Role in Contaminated Site ManagementJie MaJie MaState Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing 102249, ChinaMore by Jie Mahttp://orcid.org/0000-0003-3719-3814, Thomas McHugh*Thomas McHughGSI Environmental, Houston, Texas 77098, United States,*Email: [email protected]More by Thomas McHughhttp://orcid.org/0000-0003-3035-0274, and Bart EklundBart EklundAECOM, Austin, Texas 78729, United StatesMore by Bart EklundCite this: Environ. Sci. Technol. 2020, 54, 19, 11645–11647Publication Date (Web):September 16, 2020Publication History Received22 June 2020Published online16 September 2020Published inissue 6 October 2020https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c04078Copyright © 2020 American Chemical SocietyRIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views2880Altmetric-Citations5LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit PDF (1 MB) Get e-AlertsSUBJECTS:Fluxes,Physical and chemical processes,Soils,Vinyl,Volatile organic compounds Get e-Alerts

Impact of water table fluctuations on the seasonal effectiveness of the pump-and-treat remediation in wet–dry tropical regions

The pump-and-treat (P&T) method is a common remediation approach that is used to mitigate occurrences of hydrocarbon contamination. In a well-studied site that had been contaminated by a large volume of jet fuel, continuous monitoring of the water table and floating phase thickness revealed the most significant process governing the effectiveness of the site’s active remediation system. The floating phase thickness recorded in the wells monitored varied greatly (> 0.50 m) and was negatively correlated with the water table level. Although the dependence of light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) thickness on water table fluctuations is widely recognized, LNAPL recovery, which is governed by alternating cycles of LNAPL release and entrapment in pore spaces, has been poorly described. Thus, we present a specific case in which LNAPL recovery is expected only episodically, when the water table falls sufficiently. In the period spanning from 2006 to 2008, LNAPL remediation recovered nearly 180 m3 of oil. In later years, the volume of recovered LNAPL declined and ceased between 2010 and 2014, when the water table rose. Importantly, our research demonstrates that the P&T remediation approach is solely effective during a period of 4 months in dry years. Thus, cleanup methods and contaminated site management strategies should be reconsidered.

Sustainable Remediation: A New Way of Thinking the Contaminated Sites Management

Sustainable Remediation: A New Way of Thinking the Contaminated Sites Management

PFOS, PFOA, LC-PFCAS, and certain other PFAS: A focus on Canadian guidelines and guidance for contaminated sites management

Abstract The Canadian government has been involved in developing regulations and guidance for certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) since the early 2000s. Several federal departments are involved in different aspects of this work. Significant PFAS work is carried out under the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan (FCSAP), which provides a structure for the dozens of departments that are implicated in federal contaminated sites management in Canada. The work carried out under FCSAP is largely related to the PFAS resulting from aqueous film forming foams (AFFF) use. The Chemicals Management Plan (CMP) is another program with significant involvement in the assessment and management of certain PFAS. This work includes the publication of screening assessments on perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (LC-PFCAs) which led to their regulation. Risk assessments identify whether a chemical substance poses a risk, and if so, risk managers determine how best to minimise or eliminate the risk to protect the public and the environment. Highlights of work carried out under FCSAP, CMP, and existing regulations are discussed herein. Environmental quality guidelines and drinking water quality guidelines provide benchmarks for the quality of the ambient environment. Canadian federal guidelines or screening values to protect human health are now available for eleven (11) PFAS, while values to protect ecological receptors are available for PFOS. Development of our understanding, including the review of new information on PFAS (those for which guidelines exist and additional substances) is ongoing. Ongoing scientific research and risk management at contaminated sites in Canada have also been part of efforts by multiple federal departments in Canada. In this report, we will outline some of these projects and how they inform the development of additional environmental quality guidelines and advance contaminated sites risk management.