Paul Nathanail chaired the working group that wrote ISO18504:2017. ISO 18504:2017 provides a clear definition of sustainable remediation. This helps land contamination risk management practitioners and regulators understand how and why a chosen remediation strategy is the most sustainable one for a given situation. Identifying a remediation strategy that balances social acceptability, environmental impact and economic cost of remediation that will deliver the legally required or voluntary reduction in risk can be simple and inexpensive. Risk assessment decides the need for remediation. The remediation options appraisal stage shortlists technically feasible remediation strategies that are compared to identify a preferred strategy. The most sustainable of the shortlisted strategies is sustainable remediation for a site specific set of circumstances.

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A presentation of JUNIA / ISA with a focus on the program in Sustainable Management of Pollution and the link with professional network and the field of consultancy in polluted sites management and remediation companies.

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The concept of sustainable remediation is based on ensuring that any approach to risk management is optimised to ensure that it provides a net benefit. In 2017 the sustainable remediation ISO standard was published, ISO 18504:2017, based on a large body of work across many countries. The standard describes and summarises an increasing global consensus that the overall benefit of risk management / remediation should be positive, also taking into account its wider impacts, and that decision making should be inclusive and transparent. Sustainable and risk based land management is now recognised as the best practice for contaminated sites management around the world, endorsed by multiple international stakeholder networks (in particular NICOLE and the COMMON FORUM) and is entering use in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Italy, the Netherlands, France, the UK and many other countries around the world.

This paper outlines the first application of sustainability based decision making in remediation in Poland under the 2017 ISO. The toxic waste landfill in the Wąwolnica stream valley, Jaworzno is one of the largest ""ecological bombs"" in the entire Silesian Voivodeship and even in the country. It is also listed as one of major hot-spots for Baltic Sea. In the Central Waste Dump and the other three waste collection areas in the old sand mining site of Rudna Góra, was gathered over 195 thousand tons of post-production waste (toxic to humans and other organisms) from chemical plants including a large volume of lindane production residues from 1965 till 1982, > 3,000 tonnes per year from the Organika-Azot S.A. Chemical Plant.

Given that the lindane dump as a source is not treatable, ensuring protection of the water environment from lindane production residues in leachates from the site is of critical importance. The most recent remediation concept (Wariantowa Analiza Techniczno-Środowiskowa, 2015) elaborated by Central Mining Institute (GIG) and Geo-Logik for Municipality of Jaworzno has proposed a number of remediation treatments in a mosaic to isolate the lindane sources by managing the pathways from them.

LifePopWat is establishing a pilot to look at integrated in situ and wetland system to treat polluted water from one of the existing drainage trenches from the disposal area. This will be a proof of concept study for using a full Wetland+ as a polishing stage for the treatment of the water output from the planned remediation technologies. Another option is direct this water to an existing, but elderly waste water treatment plant.

The question posed is to ask which of these two approaches is more the sustainable for treating this output?
The Wetland+ engineered wetland system?
Treatment in the existing conventional wastewater treatment plant?

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At the site of the Industrial Park Schwarze Pumpe (ISP) in a region between Cottbus and Dresden, a considerable soil and groundwater contamination with aromatic hydrocarbons mineral oil hydrocarbons and phenols has occurred as a result of the lignite refining plants. From 1990 on, a large part of these plants has been gradually shut down and dismantled. The LMBV is responsible today for the safeguarding and remediation of the contaminated sites.
The main goal of the remediation measures is the protection of the downstream and the preparation of the area for following industrial and commercial utilization. They include both groundwater and soil remediation measures. Contaminated groundwater is treated using a complex hydraulic device that applies the “Pump & Treat” process and implements a decentralized MPPE system.
The soil remediation aims at shortening the duration of the hydraulic remediation action and includes the reduction of the contamination load at source by exchanging and treating the contaminated soil in a site-specific vacuum thermal treatment plant. A monitoring program and a complex model are implemented to assess the progress and effectiveness of the remediation measures. The main challenges at the site are the unsteady hydraulic conditions due to the surrounding mining activity and the inconsistency of the prevailing legal obligations, since the site is located almost equally in two different states.

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Carus has been one of the ISCO pioneers in to 90’s with the first applications of permangantes for chlorinated solvents remediation. During the years we developed more and more effective technologies to be used in treatment trains for a more efficient, cost effective and sustainable remediation of contaminated sites. Among currently available technologies we have: RemOx remediation grade permanganates, OBC activated persulphates, Mixed Liquid Oxidants (Permanganate and Persulphate), OxygelPlus, ABC+. We will introduce ISCO, physical and biological combined treatments along with case studies from: Hydrocarbon and Aromatics contaminated sites; MLO treatment for commingled contamination; Gas Station integrated approach from LNAPL to ppbs; Industrial sites impacted by mixed chlorinated compounds (ISCO/ISCR/Bio).

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The terms „ecology and environmental protection” are inextricably linked with the remediation and sustainable development. Laboratory tests are an indispensable elements – both in concept of environmental pollution determination and of remediation effectiveness.

Also the analytical techniques used in laboratory (including sampling) must be characterised by increasing care for the quality of the environment. Therefore, more and more attention is being paid to green chemistry techniques – which allow the reduction of solvents and sample volumes. Both of these aspects have a significant impact not only on the direct costs of analysis, but also on wider environmental aspects – from care in reducing waste to reducing the carbon footprint of logistics and transport.

The presentation will discuss these issues in relation to the testing capabilities of a modern laboratory.

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This presentation will explain how the Ivey-sol® Surfactant Enhanced Remediation (SER®) Technology can enhance the ‘Availability’ of sorbed, globule and/or non-aqueous phase (NAPL) contamination for improved physical, biological, and chemical remediation, involving vapor, soil and groundwater contamination at industrial (MGP) and commercial (Brownfield) sites globally. The presentation will also explain the hydro-geo-chemical factors that limit effective remediation.

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A SUCCESSFUL PROJECT BEGINS WITH A CAREFULLY CONCEIVED CONCEPTUAL SITE MODEL

The discussion presents case studies demonstrating the use of high quality, rapidly obtained, active sub-slab soil gas measurements, evaluation of preferential pathways, visual data interpretation and utilization of GIS methods. This information is necessary to locate sources and better define your CSM Model providing time saving methods, lower cost to the client and allowing re-development to proceed.

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Phytoremediation Practical Experience in Europe: How plants augmented by specific bacteria have been used to clean up industrial sites, including Belgium and Poland.

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This presentation will explain how the Ivey-sol® Surfactant Enhanced Remediation (SER®) Technology can enhance the ‘Availability’ of sorbed, globule and/or non-aqueous phase (NAPL) contamination for improved physical, biological, and chemical remediation, involving vapor, soil and groundwater contamination at industrial (MGP) and commercial (Brownfield) sites globally. The presentation will also explain the hydro-geo-chemical factors that limit effective remediation.

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As a result of the production of soda, sulphuric acid, chlorinated lime, sodium hydroxide solution, hydro-chloric acid and artificial fertilizers from 1829-1927, the soil and groundwater in the residential area was high-grade contaminated with mainly arsenic as well as dioxins, furans and heavy metals. CDM Smith carried out nearly all project planning services - from the historical exploration of the site to the construction management and supervision of the soil and groundwater remediation (HOAI phases 1-9). During the soil remediation, approx. 190,000 tons of contaminated soil including approximately 50 tons of arsenic was removed and disposed of within a 9-year time frame. Since 2003 the groundwater contamination was remediated accompanying the soil remediation by a conventional hydraulic Pump&Treat measure.
After more than 15 years successful operation of the Pump&Treat measure this technique was combined with an innovative mobilization technique to optimize the groundwater remediation. The innovative mobilization technique was developed in laboratory experiments (batch and column experiments) using phosphate as a mobilization agent. The technique was customized on-site (bench scale test) and is carried out at large-scale since 2,5 years. Compared with the former Pump&Treat technique, the removal of arsenic was thereby tripled.

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The ESG reporting framework presents an opportunity to create value in property development that produces carbon credits through carbon sequestration to help achieve 2050 Net Zero emissions. Development projects, either brownfields or green fields, can be part of a net zero trajectory with offsets for unavoidable carbon emissions. Remedial goals in property development must now include processes that work towards achieving Net Zero.
The Paris Agreement, (197 nations) seeks to limit global warming to a 1.5 °C goal. Any chance to achieve this goal requires CO2 emissions to be at net zero by around 2050. Industry’s contribution is integral to the EU’s ESG Reporting requirements. There is a strict process to document how much and how carbon sequestration is achieved, and a rigorous process on how to create and document carbon offsets.
Remediation costs for contaminated land are often high and a hindrance to development, but when repurposing brownfield sites they are an opportunity to deliver part of the Net Zero solution by adding value. Transformation of contaminated sites, or development of green field sites, is an occasion to deliver Net Zero. Each project is a chance to improve soil health and biodiversity, and the ability to sequester carbon. The selection of flora that store carbon in the landscape can be used to achieve sustainability objectives. This is through the development of natural carbon sinks with fast growth rate vegetation that can improve habitats and become carbon capture spaces.
Remediation of contaminated land can deliver Net Zero and thereby offset costs and bring an opportunity to deliver on the promise of ESG reporting. It offers social, economic, and environmental benefits to the community and to the business in its long-term goal of Environmental Social Governance.

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The push by companies and governments to a net zero and low carbon economy will have a myriad of flow on impacts. Those who are upstream and downstream of these entities will not be immune and must be ready to measure and report back their GHG footprint and impacts in order to secure to meet this demand as well as being a good corporate citizen. But what do you need to consider when reporting your scope 1, 2 and / or 3 emissions? Do you understand the boundary of your operations? Are you aware of what is within your operational control? Are you aware of the emissions factors and local requirements to measure and maintain a carbon inventory? Have you considered automation and changes in your procurement process to obtain the relevant data that you need? At Emex we have assisted many clients in solving these questions and are happy to pass on some of our insights and experience in this area.

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Emex is announcing a new product launch at REMEDY, Emex CarbonGo. CarbonGo is a low code software solution that helps companies easily measure Scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon emissions by automating and streamlining data capture in line with best practice reporting frameworks. Utlising Emex’s advanced analytics capabilities, CarbonGo helps companies track and understand their GHG footprint over time. Our intelligent carbon dashboards, predictive analytics and AI tools help to identify the highest impact measures so you can manage carbon targets and reduce your carbon footprint. This presentation will provide a quick demonstration of just how easy and useful Emex CarbonGo can be for your business.

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