[CPEO-BIF] Chemical Stabilization Procedures Successfully Recover Brownfield Sites

[bobh@np.craigslist.org]

Newswise ? A recent study in AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment covered a
new way to clean up brownfield sites, which are abandoned industrial or commercial
lands contaminated by low concentrations of hazardous waste or pollutants.

Common contaminants of industrial sites include copper, chromium, and arsenic. A
pilot-scale experiment compared the industrial-scale, long-term effects of treating
these areas with iron-containing blaster sand (BS) or oxygen-scarfing granulate
(OSG). The study showed that treatment with BS appeared to produce better long-term
effects than treatment with OSG.

A common practice to remediate brownfield sites at this time is landfilling, which
involves the excavation and burial of the contaminated soil to restrict the
pollutants to a controlled area. The problem with landfilling is that it can be
problematic when large numbers of sites need remediation, and the pollutants are
still retained in the soil mix, which can result in a future risk of contaminant
mobilization, perhaps unpredictably.

Treatments done in the laboratory and as field experiments for this study were
successful with high additions of ameliorant, a substance that improves the
physical condition of soil and aids in plant growth. While the study indicated that
more research is necessary to investigate long-term efficiency, these mixtures are
a promising start to reduce the quantity of contaminated soil being placed in
landfills or left in place due to size.

To read the entire study, see:
http://www.allenpress.com/pdf/i0044-7447-036-06-0430.pdf

Bob Hersh
CPEO

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