06 Dec Sustainable remediation methods
Within the contaminated sites industry, sustainable remediation methods are increasingly being discussed. This is something that our colleague Astrid has highlighted in her recently published thesis.
The work deals with the environmental impact of different remediation methods, where she has focused on the most common remediation method in Sweden, excavation remediation. The method is studied from a life cycle perspective and the results are compared with other remediation methods such as biochar, soil washing and thermal treatment.
The study shows that the transport and disposal of contaminated materials can account for as much as 70-90% of the total climate impact of a excavation remediation project. Reducing the amount of materials that need to be transported, reducing transport distances or using a higher proportion of renewable fuels has the greatest effect on both greenhouse gas emissions and resource use.
In comparison with other methods, purification using biochar was seen to be able to contribute to a climate benefit. This is because the product binds carbon dioxide and thus acts as a carbon sink. The method also avoids landfilling and benefits the soil ecosystem. The technology is relatively modern, so there is a lack of knowledge about long-term effects.
The thesis entitled Environmental Impact from Post-treatment of Contaminated Areas: A Life Cycle Analysis of Excavation Remediation from a Climate and Resource Management Perspective was done together with Miljöfirman Konsult Sverige AB and Uppsala University, Department of Geosciences.
The thesis (in Swedish) is available here