Remediation

Environmental remediation deals with the removal of pollution or contaminants from environmental media such as soil, groundwater, sediment, or surface water for the general protection of human health and the environment or from a brownfield site intended for redevelopment. Remediation is generally subject to an array of regulatory requirements, and also can be based on assessments of human health and ecological risks where no legislated standards exist or where standards are advisory.

Remediation management (RM) is a global function that provides strategic support, advice and specialized skills to achieve our waste prevention and clean up/restoration objectives. Whether dealing with hydrocarbons in soil and groundwater, or managing naturally-occurring low-level radioactivity from drilling and historical mining waste, our teams aim to ensure we take responsibility for any negative environmental impact of our operations – past and present. RM also provides health, safety, security and environment (HSSE) and safety and operational risk (S&OR) support for mergers

Environmental remediation is the removal of pollution or contaminants from water (both ground water and surface water) and soil. These waste products are removed for the protection of human health, as well as to restore the environment. Remediation restores brownfield sites either for redevelopment or to return them to their natural state. Sites that have been used to dispose of hazardous waste present a unique challenge to clean up.

Remediation projects can range from large, expensive projects, on which a great deal of effort is spent to clean up contaminated sites, to smaller, less costly projects, such as cleaning up a highway accident in which oil is spilled. In some cases, a site is so contaminated that it can only be fenced off and isolated as much as possible from the rest of the environment. Remediation projects usually begin with a site assessment to determine the costs of the project, as well as the technology that would be the most appropriate for the particular site.

Environmental remediation is carried out on various environmental media, including soil, sediment, groundwater, and surface water. This article classifies remediation according to whether it is done on water or soil. Water remediation includes both groundwater and surface water, whereas soil remediation includes topsoil, subsoil, and sediment. Soil and water remediation may be conducted separately or together, depending on the type and extent of the pollution.

Water remediation is the process of removing contaminants from water. Surface water in lakes, streams, and rivers can be directly contaminated by pollutants released directly into the water or by runoff from the ground. Groundwater, which is the underground water that saturates porous material, can become polluted by contaminants seeping through the soil and sediment above it. The majority of the population of the United States depends upon groundwater as a source of drinking water and for agricultural use. Many areas have experienced groundwater pollution from waste materials that were disposed of or stored incorrectly on land, where they percolated into the soil and were eventually carried down into the groundwater. Groundwater pollution also has occurred as the result of industrial practices such as mining or drilling for natural gas and oil.

Soil remediation refers to strategies that are used to purify and revitalize the soil. Soil contamination is caused by many of the same factors that cause groundwater contamination. Often, the soil and groundwater are contaminated from the same source and both must be remediated at the same time. Soil contamination can result from chemical spills, industrial activity, and the use of certain fertilizers and pesticides.

Environmental remediation may also be classified as in-situ or ex-situ. In-situ remediation methods treat the contamination on the site without removing soil, while ex-situ remediation involves excavating soil or sediment and treating it, before returning it to its original state.

Environmental remediation uses a wide variety of technologies and methods for cleaning up contaminated areas. The methods used at a particular site depend on the type and extent of the pollution, as well as the characteristics of the site itself. Areas where pollution has seeped deep into the ground and groundwater require different methods than areas where a small amount of chemical has been spilled on the topsoil. There are many different remediation methods, and new technologies are regularly being developed. This section briefly describes a few of the technologies and methods of remediation.