Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
waste as biosorbents could also be used. Other approaches can also be implemented.
These include:
• Employment of renewable energy for cleanup and land reuse
• Soil amendments such as compost soil covers consisting of noninvasive grasses
or shrubs
• Drought-resistant plants to reduce exposure to contaminated soil and waste
• Metal (copper, zinc, gold, nickel) recovery from waste materials
• Phytoremediation to treat soil and water
There is a growing need to incorporate sustainability into projects due to pressure from
all stakeholders. To integrate this into projects, decision support tools are needed. According
to the EPA (2008), minimization of energy use, air emissions, water impacts, material and
waste use, land, and ecosystems is required. The focus should be more on sustainable
remediation such as phytoremediation and biobarriers, and use of renewable energies. In
Canada, some sustainable remediation initiatives are led by the Interstate Technology and
Regulatory Council (http://www.itrcweb.org/gd.asp), the Government of Canada (Public
Works, Health Canada), and more recently by Surf Canada (http://www.surfcanada.org).
The Surf UK framework was used in the tender phase to evaluate alternatives for a site
7 km northwest of Bicester, Oxfordshire (Bardos et al., 2013). As it was a former airbase, it
was designated as a heritage site. The 505-ha site was targeted for redevelopment for 1000
homes and related infrastructure while maintaining the heritage interest and included a
petroleum, oil, and lubrication (POL) system with 13 km of pipework and 71 tanks. After
fuel removal, the system was illed with water and alkaline solution to inhibit corrosion.
Some oily water, however, existed in the system. The risk analysis conducted indicated
that there was potential groundwater contamination from oily water and sludge, and thus,
remediation was required. For the site remediation selection, preservation of the ecological
and heritage characteristics, minimization of site disruption, and consideration of potential
unexploded ordinance (UXOs) on site were required. The sustainability assessment at the
tender stage was employed to show that the selection retained was the most sustainable.
Initially, remediation options were selected to achieve the remediation goals. These included
breaking contaminant pathways, effectiveness, practicality, and ease of operation. The scor-
ing system was distributed equally. After an initial screening process, a more detailed assess-
ment was performed. Qualitative indicators were identiied and quantitative indicators such
as embodied carbon data from the ICE database, environmental agency carbon calculator,
and data for suppliers were calculated. The selected option included illing of the pipelines
with foam (not the most cost eficient), and the tanks with a PFA grout, water treatment was
on site with discharge to the land. The approach allowed the involvement of stakeholders and
allowed the choice of the most balanced approach, not necessarily the most economic.
Reddy and Adams (2010) have indicated that efforts are being made toward standard-
ization of sustainability frameworks. Speciic indicators could include energy and water
consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, waste generation, cost of remediation. Various
assessment tools have been developed. Some include screening matrices and others are
life cycle assessments. Various public agencies including the Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency, Illinois EPA, and the California DTSC have developed preliminary assess-
ment tools. For the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment (AFCEE), GSI
Environment developed the Sustainable Remediation Tool (SRT). The EPA has a GHG cal-
culator tool. Life cycle assessment is another approach. However, it can be complicated and
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