<p>The decision process of which technique to choose for remediation of contaminated sites has traditionally focused on the clean up level, the time required and the economical resources. The environmental costs of the remediation are seldom taken into consideration. With a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) it is possible to receive an overall picture of the environmental impacts caused by a remediation technique. In this thesis a comparison of two LCA methods has been made. The methods are named REC and Uva and are used in the Netherlands and Germany. Two remediation techniques, the adsorption technique and the bioremediation technique, were compared and data from a discontinued petrol station were used. The output from the REC method indicated that the adsorption technique causes more environmental costs then the bioremediation technique. The main reason is because the adsorption technique consumes more groundwater and energy. The UvA method presented a different result. According to this method the bioremediation technique causes more environmental costs. This is because the bioremediation technique consumes more energy and causes more emissions. The main reasons of the difference between the REC and the UvA methods are that they use diverse ways to calculate the consumption of energy, have different system boundaries and consider different impact categories. A conclusion of the present study is that a decision process of which remediation technique to use at a contaminated site could be dependent on which method is used as a decision support tool.</p>

The decision process of which technique to choose for remediation of contaminated sites has traditionally focused on the clean up level, the time required and the economical resources. The environmental costs of the remediation are seldom taken into consideration. With a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) it is possible to receive an overall picture of the environmental impacts caused by a remediation technique. In this thesis a comparison of two LCA methods has been made. The methods are named REC and Uva and are used in the Netherlands and Germany. Two remediation techniques, the adsorption technique and the bioremediation technique, were compared and data from a discontinued petrol station were used. The output from the REC method indicated that the adsorption technique causes more environmental costs then the bioremediation technique. The main reason is because the adsorption technique consumes more groundwater and energy. The UvA method presented a different result. According to this method the bioremediation technique causes more environmental costs. This is because the bioremediation technique consumes more energy and causes more emissions. The main reasons of the difference between the REC and the UvA methods are that they use diverse ways to calculate the consumption of energy, have different system boundaries and consider different impact categories. A conclusion of the present study is that a decision process of which remediation technique to use at a contaminated site could be dependent on which method is used as a decision support tool.

[pt] O objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar a contaminação da água subterrânea por metais pesados provenientes da Área de Disposição de Resíduos (ADR) do município de Resende, RJ. O escopo compreende um estudo preliminar com base em levantamento e mapeamento de dados espaciais; investigação in situ e em laboratório, incluindo a instalação de poços de monitoramento, amostragens e caracterização de solos, águas subterrâneas e chorume, ensaios de condutividade hidráulica, K; e modelagem da pluma de contaminação usando o programa MIKE SHE. Em geral, a caracterização apresentou argilas arenosas, siltes arenosos e, areias siltosas, cujos principais minerais foram quartzo, caulinita, e muscovita com presença de biotita e feldspato. Os valores de K variaram de 10(-5) a 10(-6) m/s; o pH entre 4,59 e 6,93 (água subterrânea) e 7,93 e 8,16 (chorume); a condutividade elétrica na água variou de 0,032 a 7,113 mS/cm, coerente com os sólidos totais dissolvidos e com maiores valores no chorume e no poço mais próximo a ADR. Análises detectaram 14 metais dissolvidos (Al, As, B, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se e Zn) em concentrações acima do permissível por lei. A modelagem mostrou como a distribuição espacial e a anisotropia dos solos influenciam o fluxo e transporte do cloreto (advectivo) e do cromo (sorção). Quando são considerados solos anisotrópicos, a pluma de Cl- atinge o Rio Paraíba do Sul, à 2,5 km de distância, em 43 anos enquanto a pluma do Cr dista apenas 55 m da fonte. Embora os resultados experimentais não tenham sido claros em determinar se todos os metais encontrados são necessariamente da fonte de contaminação da ADR ou de origens naturais, as simulações deste modelo indicaram baixo impacto ambiental dos metais para o rio. / [en] The objective of this work is to evaluate the groundwater contamination due to heavy metals from the Waste Disposal Area (WDA) in the municipality of Resende, RJ. The scope consists of a preliminary assessment based on surveying and mapping spatial data; in situ and laboratory investigation, including the installation of monitoring wells, sampling and characterization of soils, groundwater and waste leachate, hydraulic conductivity tests, K; and contaminant plume modelling using the program MIKE SHE. Overall, the characterization revealed sandy clays, sandy silts and silty sands. The predominant minerals were quartz, kaolinite, and muscovite along with the presence of biotite and feldspar. The values of K varied from 10(-5) to 10(-6) m/s; the pH between 4.59 and 6.93 (groundwater) and 7.93 and 8.16 (leachate); the electrical conductivity in the water varied from 0.032 to 7.113 mS/cm, consistent with the total dissolved solids and with higher values attributed to the leachate and the well closest to the WDA. Analysis detected 14 dissolved metals (Al, As, B, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se and Zn) with concentrations above the legal limit. The model illustrated how the soils spatial distribution and anisotropy influence the flow and transport of chloride (advective) and chromium (sorption). When considering anisotropic soils, the Clplume reached the Paraíba do Sul River, 2.5 km away, in 43 years while the Cr plume only moved 55 m from the source. Although the experimental results were not clear in determining whether all the metals found necessarily originated from the contaminant source from the WDA or from natural origins, the simulations of this model indicated a low environmental impact to the river.

The dominating factors affecting sorption of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) remain subject of research and debate. Traditionally, distribution coefficients (e.g., Kd and KOC) are used to calculate the fractionation of the contaminant between soil and water, to estimate leaching and subsequently the risks it imposes reaching water reservoirs. Research has aimed to establish the sorption mechanisms for PFAS but, due to the complexity of interactions between the substance specific physiochemical properties and geochemical sorbent characteristics, it has shown to be a complicated task. For PFOS, one of the most commonly encountered PFAS, the Swedish Geotechnical Institute (SGI) recommends using the 10th percentile of a small data set for the organic carbon-water distribution coefficient KOC (500 L/kg) and multiply this with the organic content of the in-situ soil to obtain the soil-water distribution coefficient (Kd). The result of this study shows that this method is insufficient to obtain a good approximation of the mobility of PFOS at a contaminated site. With a review of recent research on PFAS sorption and a case study performed at Stockholm Arlanda Airport, this study concludes that as of today, and due to PFAS potent mobility, well measured field coefficients for each soil type present in the soil profile and an elaborate geohydrological model is necessary to estimate PFAS environmental transport, fate and associated risks. It also concludes that parameters such as anionic exchange capacity and soil protein content may be highly relevant to estimate PFAS sorption.

Kartotrak software allows optimal waste classification and avoids unnecessary remediation. It has been designed for those - site owners, safety authorities or contractors, involved in environmental site characterization projects - who need to locate and estimate contaminated soil volumes confidently.

Kartotrak software allows optimal waste classification and avoids unnecessary remediation. It has been designed for those - site owners, safety authorities or contractors, involved in environmental site characterization projects - who need to locate and estimate contaminated soil volumes confidently.

I Sverige finns det idag cirka 86 000 inventerade områden som är eller misstänks vara förorenade. Ett förorenat område kan ha en skadlig effekt på människor, djur och miljö vid exponering av föroreningarna. Områden som är förorenade kan därför behöva behandlas för att lokalt förbättra markkvalitén och för att minska risker. Ett problem som börjat uppmärksammas i branschen är att saneringar av mark också kan leda till betydande negativa konsekvenser som till exempel utsläpp av växthusgaser och nyttjande av fossila resurser. Bland annat riskeras det svenska miljömålet ”Begränsad klimatpåverkan” att inte uppnås om ingenting förändras. Den vanligaste metoden för att efterbehandla ett förorenat område i Sverige är genom schaktsanering. Studiens syfte var att undersöka klimatpåverkan och resurshanteringen från schaktsanering genom att göra en livscykelanalys på metoden. Metodens klimatpåverkan jämfördes också med andra saneringsmetoder. Resultaten visade att för schaktsanering bidrog transport och deponiarbetet till den största klimatpåverkan och resursanvändningen. Genom minskade transportavstånd, användning av fordon med lägre energiåtgång per transportarbete eller utbyte mot mer förnyelsebara drivmedel sågs miljöpåverkan minska. Deponering av massor sågs dessutom vara energikrävande, varpå incitament för att återvinna och återanvända massor i högre utsträckning än vad det görs idag efterfrågas. I jämförelse med andra saneringsmetoder sågs biokol vara den metod som gav upphov till en relativt liten klimatpåverkan. Dessutom medförde biokol en mer resurseffektiv avfallshantering i och med minskad deponering av jord, organiskt avfall och uttag av jungfruliga råvaror för återfyllnad. / In Sweden, there are currently approximately 86,000 inventoried sites that are identified as being contaminated. A contaminated site can have a harmful effect on humans, animals and the environment when exposed to the contaminants. Contaminated areas may therefore need to be remediated to locally improve soil quality and to reduce risks. A problem that has been noticed in the industry is that remediation of land can also lead to significant negative environmental consequences, such as the release of greenhouse gases and the use of fossil resources. For example, the Swedish environmental quality objective "Reduced climate impact" might not be achieved unless there are improvements. The most common method to remediate a contaminated site in Sweden is through “dig and dump”. The purpose of this study was to investigate the climate impact and resource usage from “dig and dump” by performing a life cycle assessment of this most common remediation method. The climate impact of the method was also compared with other remediation methods. The results showed that for “dig and dump”, transports and landfill of the soil contributed to the greatest climate impact and resource use. Through reduced transport distances, use of vehicles with lower energy consumption or exchange for more renewable fuels, the environmental impact was reduced. Landfilling of excavated soil was also energy demanding, and incentives to recycle and reuse soil to a greater extent than is done today are preferred. In comparison with other remediation methods, biochar was a method that caused a relatively small climate impact. In addition, biochar led to a more resource-efficient waste management through reduced disposal of soil, organic waste, and extraction of virgin raw materials for refilling.