On site remediation of contaminated soil by use of industrial by-products

A lot of different chemicals have been used, both inorganic (CCA, CZA) and organic (creosote and pentachlorophenol) for preservation of wood. This has caused soil contamination with mixed pollutants at wood preservation sites, which has to be considered planning the remediation of these sites. The goal of the project is to develop and evaluate practical sequences of techniques for on site remediation of soil contaminated with mixed (i.e. organic and inorganic) substances.

Various treatment techniques can reduce hazard of the contaminated soil by for example destroying, separating or stabilising its hazardous components. It is advantageous to be able to remediate soil contaminated with both organic and inorganic substances during the same process. However, one technique is not sufficient to take care of all contaminants. Therefore one technique that is efficient for destruction of organic contaminants, e.g. thermal treatment, should be combined with other methods, such as separation, concentration and stabilisation to achieve the desired result. The ability to apply these methods on site would reduce transportation costs and environmental effects (e.g. dusting of contaminated particles, relocation of the problem, CO2 release). In case when chemical stabilisation is included for the treatment of the separated contaminants, utilisation of industrial by-products, for example, from steel (iron oxides) and energy industries (ashes) can be a environmentally and recourse-efficient option.

Jurate Kumpiene