Η ρύπανση του εδάφους από βιομηχανικά και αστικά απόβλητα αποτελεί παγκοσμίως ένα από τα σημαντικότερα περιβαλλοντικά προβλήματα. Ανάμεσα στους πιο επικίνδυνους ρύπους συγκαταλέγονται και οι υδρογονάνθρακες πετρελαιοειδών. Αναπόφευκτη συνέπεια της διαφυγής των υγρών ρύπων στο έδαφος είναι η μεταφορά τους προς στην ακόρεστη ζώνη του εδάφους μέσω μιας σειράς διεργασιών (ροή, διαλυτοποίηση, εξάτμιση, διασπορά, ρόφηση, κτλ) και η ρύπανση των υποκείμενων ταμιευτήρων υπογείων υδάτων. Οι πλέον κλασσικές μέθοδοι απομακρυσμένης (ex situ) απορρύπανσης εδαφών περιλαμβάνουν εκσκαφή και μεταφορά του εδάφους σε κατάλληλους χώρους (π.χ. αποτεφρωτήρες, βιο-σωροί, κλπ). Τα τελευταία χρόνια έχει αναπτυχθεί έντονο ενδιαφέρον για την ανάπτυξη και εφαρμογή τεχνολογιών επιτόπιας απορρύπανσης των εδαφών (in situ soil remediation) με χαμηλό κόστος και ελάχιστο περιβαλλοντικό αποτύπωμα. Στην παρούσα εργασία μελετώνται δύο σχετικά νέες μέθοδοι επιτόπιας απορρύπανσης: α) ο βιοαερισμός και, β) η έγχυση ατμού. Και στις δύο περιπτώσεις, για να αυξηθεί η ακτίνα δράσης της απορρύπανσης, το έδαφος διεγέρθηκε με την δημιουργία οριζόντιων υδραυλικών ρωγμών που λειτουργούν ως οριζόντια φρεάτια διαβίβασης και εξαγωγής ρευστών. Το πεδίο μελέτης είναι ένα πρώην στρατιωτικό αεροδρόμιο της Βόρειο-Δυτικής Πολωνίας, το Kluczewo, το οποίο έχει ρυπανθεί εκτεταμένα με κηροζίνη για μεγάλο χρονικό διάστημα (1935-1992). Το έδαφος της περιοχής αυτής παρουσιάζει ρωγμές ενώ η πορώδης μήτρα έχει σχετικά χαμηλή διαπερατότητα. Οι ίδιες γεωλογικές συνθήκες επικρατούν σε μεγάλο μέρος του υπεδάφους της Βόρειας Ευρώπης. Λόγω της ισχυρά ετερογενούς φύσης αυτών των εδαφών από την κλίμακα των πόρων στην κλίμακα του πεδίου και της δημιουργίας προτιμητέων μονοπατιών ροής, είναι αρκετά δύσκολο να σχεδιαστούν αποδοτικές μέθοδοι απορρύπανσης. Κύριος στόχος της εργασίας είναι η αξιολόγηση της απόδοσης των δύο μεθόδων απορρύπανσης μετά την εφαρμογή τους στην ακόρεστη ζώνη ετερογενούς εδάφους που έχει ρυπανθεί εκτενώς με υδρογονάνθρακες πετρελαιοειδών (κηροζίνη). Για να προσδιοριστεί η απόδοση κάθε μεθόδου, συλλέχθηκαν δείγματα εδάφους από ένα μεγάλο αριθμό σημείων και πραγματοποιήθηκαν χημικές αναλύσεις μέτρησης της συγκέντρωσης και της σύστασης των υδρογονανθράκων με GC-MS και GC-FID. Προκειμένου να διευκρινιστoύν καλύτερα οι κύριοι μηχανισμοί απομάκρυνσης του ρύπου και να εκτιμηθεί η αποδοτικότητα της έγχυσης ατμού και του βιοαερισμού, διεξήχθησαν πειράματα έγχυσης ατμού και βιοαερισμού και σε εργαστηριακή κλίμακα (oρθογώνιο κελί από PMMA με διαστάσεις 55 cm x 50 cm x 12 cm και υπό ακόρεστες συνθήκες). Λόγω των ετερογενειών της πορώδους δομής, στον βιοαερισμό ο κύριος μηχανισμός απομάκρυνσης ρύπου ήταν η εξάτμιση των υδρογονανθράκων και η σχετικά γρήγορη μεταφορά των ατμών μέσω διάχυσης και λόγω της μεγάλης βαθμίδας συγκέντρωσης από την μικροπορώδη μήτρα προς μονοπάτια προτιμητέας ροής (preferential flow paths) αέρα (αερισμός). Αντιστοίχως, λόγω της χαμηλής διαπερατότητας του εδάφους, στην περίπτωση της έγχυσης ατμού ο κύριος μηχανισμός απομάκρυνσης των ημι-πτητικών και μη πτητικών συστατικών ήταν η απόσταξη ατμού (δηλαδή η μείωση του σημείου ζέσεως των υδρογονανθράκων λόγω της παρουσίας μη αναμίξιμης υδατικής φάσης). Η σύγκριση των δύο μεθόδων απορρύπανσης με διάνοιξη οριζόντιων υδραυλικών ρωγμών έδειξε ότι και οι δύο μέθοδοι είναι αρκετά αποδοτικές όσον αφορά στη μείωση της μάζας του ρύπου (~72%) σε ισχυρά ετερογενή εδάφη με ρωγμές. Η έγχυση ατμού όμως είναι πολύ πιο γρήγορη (3 μήνες) από το βιοαερισμό (12 μήνες) αλλά ταυτόχρονα και αρκετά πιο ακριβή από αυτόν (14-25%). Όσον αφορά το ποσοστό μείωσης επικινδυνότητας του υπολειπόμενου ρύπου, ο βιοαερισμός δίνει με μεγάλη διαφορά καλύτερα αποτελέσματα (93%) από ότι η έγχυση ατμού (8-68%) όπου παρατηρείται και μεγάλη διακύμανση τιμών. / Soil contamination by industrial and urban wastes is nowadays one of the most important pollution problems worldwide. The petroleum hydrocarbons are included in the list of toxic pollutants that have contaminated extensive areas all over the world. An inevitable consequence of liquid pollutants release on the ground is their transport by a variety of mechanisms (e.g. gravity flow, dissolution, volatilization, dispersion, sorption, etc) in the unsaturated zone of soil, and subsequent pollution of the underlying aquifers. Conventional methods of ex-situ soil remediation are the soil excavation and its transportation in appropriate places (e.g. incinerator, bio-piles, etc). During the last years, there is a growing interest for the development and application of low-cost and sustainable (low environmental impact) in-situ soil remediation technologies. In the present work, two relatively new in-situ remediation technologies, bioventing and steam injection, were tested on the vadose zone of a low permeability and fractured glacial till sediment that was contaminated by jet fuel. The experimental site is situated in an abandoned military airport (Kluczewo) in North-Western Poland. The area was polluted extensively by jet fuel over a long period (1935-1992). The geological characterization revealed the existence of vertical desiccation fractures at the upper layers and horizontal/sub-horizontal tectonic fractures at the deeper ones, and a relatively low permeability and heterogeneous micro-porous matrix. The same geologic conditions dominate in a major part of the subsurface in Northern and Central Europe. Due to the multi-scale heterogeneities, ranging from the pore-scale to the field-scale, and the creation of preferential flow paths in such soils, it is very difficult to design successful remediation strategies based on vertical wells. For this reason, in both field experiments (bioventing and steam injection), the soil was stimulated by opening hydraulic fractures which acted as horizontal wells of fluid injection/extraction, and enhanced the influence radius of remediation. The main goal of the work is to evaluate, under field conditions, steam injection and bioventing as sustainable and efficient technologies for the removal of petroleum hydrocarbons from highly heterogeneous soils. In order to determine the efficiency of each remediation method, soil samples were collected from twelve wells and seven depths, and placed inside specific flasks pre-filled with dichloromethane (DCM). After the accelerated extraction of non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) from the soil and its dissolution in DCM, the composition and concentration of hydrocarbons (NAPL) was performed by using GC-MS and GC-FID. In order to clarify the main NAPL removal mechanisms and evaluate the effectiveness of steam injection and bioventing, lab-scale experiments were also conducted in soil tanks by using synthetic NAPL (PMMA cell with 55 cm x 50 cm x 12 cm dimensions) and keep the conditions comparable to the field ones. Due to pore structure heterogeneities, the main NAPL removal mechanism in bioventing was the volatilization of hydrocarbons and the fast vapour transfer through diffusion (due to the high concentration gradient) from the porous matrix to the high hydraulic conductivity preferential flow paths of injected air (ventilation). Respectively, due to the low soil permeability, in steam injection the main removal mechanism of semi- and non-volatile substances was steam distillation (namely the reduction of NAPL compounds bubble point because of the coexistence of immiscible water). The comparison of the two remediation technologies, steam injection and bioventing, indicate that both methods are efficient with respect to the reduction of the pollutant mass (~72%) in highly heterogeneous and fractured soils. With respect to cost issues, steam injection albeit faster, is 14-25% more expensive than bioventing. Finally, concerning the risks associated with the reduction of residual NAPL in groundwater, bioventing was more effective (~93%) than steam injection (8-68%).

The overall efficiency of plants to remediate soils contaminated by metals depends on their growth ability especially on soils with low-fertility. For twelve weeks, the ability of Psoralea pinnata to grow well and remove chromium and iron from artificially contaminated soil was tested. The concentrations of chromium and iron in two soils obtained from different sources namely, University of South Africa premises (US) and commercial potting soil (PS) were 80 ppm, 130ppm, 180ppm, 230ppm, 280ppm, 330ppm, 380pp, 430ppm and 480ppm. Psoralea pinnata was transplanted into the contaminated soils and the experiments were watered daily to maintain 70% moisture at field capacity in a greenhouse. Shoot height and root length of Psoralea pinnata before and after planting were measured. Other parameters that were measured were number of leaves, wet shoot and dry weights, and wet root and dry weights. The growth of Psoralea pinnata, after 12 weeks of experimentation was noticeably affected by the concentrations of chromium and iron in the soil. The percentage increases in shoot height of Psoralea pinnata in the PS Soil (C-PS, 48cm from initial shoot height of 12.6cm) treatments were generally higher than the increases in the US Soil (C-US, 45.2cm from initial shoot height of 12.8cm) treatments. Psoralea pinnata in the (US) treatments accumulated Fe (50.02 ppm) from the soil more than Cr (32.38ppm). In the (PS) treatments, Psoralea pinnata also accumulated more Fe (60.57 ppm) than Cr (38.34 ppm). In the experiments containing both Fe and Cr, the US treatments with 40 ppm each of Cr and Fe, chromium was initially mostly accumulated by Psoralea pinnata (68%). At higher concentrations (320 ppm) of the combined metals (Cr and Fe) treatment, more Fe (55%) was accumulated in Psoralea pinnata. This study however showed that Psoralea pinnata may not be an efficient phytoextraction plant for hyperaccumulation. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)

Introduction Run-off from Johannesburg mine dumps is a source of environmental pollution and a public health concern. This study focussed on assessing and developing remediation strategies for Manuel Street Park (MSP) that has been affected by run-off from the Princess Mine dump. Study objectives were threefold: to use a survey involving residents living around MSP to determine community use and perception of rehabilitation of the Park; to determine the impact of the addition of a preparation known as “Effective Micro-organisms” (EM®) to polluted Park soil and; to prepare a remediation plan for this Park. Methodology A qualitative survey was conducted amongst users of the park as to their use and perceptions of rehabilitation of the park and their understanding of mine-related pollution and acid mine drainage. Controlled greenhouse trials were conducted to determine optimal germination and growth of Pennisetum clandestinum (Kikuyu grass) in Park soil, with and without EM® or compost. A landscaper was consulted to collate research results to facilitate park rehabilitation. Results Survey participants understood the risks of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) and other mine pollution and gave valuable information which assisted in understanding local issues concerning the park. Tests with soil polluted with AMD showed that it promoted seed germination while treatment of park soil with fertiliser, compost and enhanced microorganisms improved plant development and growth. Practically, it was determined that the use of EM1 at the park would be difficult because of on-going flooding of the park with contaminated water. For this reason, an improved drainage plan was suggested, along with raised walkways. Conclusion A remediation plan can be implemented on site involving installation of French drains, raised walkways, and soil remediation involving EM® / Agriculture, Animal Health and Human Ecology / M. Sc. (Environmental Management Ornamental Horticulture)

In Canada, about 60% of contaminated sites involve petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) contamination and most of these sites have been abandoned due to contamination. Among current technologies used for soil remediation, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is a relatively recent and potentially viable method. The main aim of this research was to investigate the application of SFE for removal of PHCs from contaminated soils. In the first phase, the effects of SFE operational parameters including fluid pressure, fluid temperature, time duration and mode of extraction on the removal efficiency of PHCs from a spiked sandy soil (with diesel fuel with a ratio of 5 wt%) were investigated. SFE experiments were performed at different pressures (15, 33 and 50 MPa) and temperatures (30, 75 and 120 °C). The combination of 10 min static mode followed by 10 min dynamic mode, repeated for 3 cycles (60 min in total) led to the highest PHC removal percentage. According to response surface methodology (RSM), the optimum pressure and temperature were found to be 50 MPa and 69.3 °C, respectively. According to experimental results, the optimum combination of pressure and temperature determined to be 33 MPa and 75 °C; which resulted in the extraction percentages of 99.2%, 91.7% and 86.1% for PHC F2, F3 and F4 fractions, respectively. In the second phase, the influence of several parameters including soil water content, soil pH and addition of modifier on PHCs removals from a field-contaminated sandy soil using SFE were experimentally investigated. SFE experiments were performed at 33 MPa pressure and temperatures of 45 and 75 °C. Three water content levels of 8%, 14% and 20% at two levels of pH 6.5 and 7.5 were investigated. The extraction of total petroleum hydrocarbon fractions (TPHF), the sum of F2, F3, and F4 fractions, decreased due to the increase in the water content from 8% to 20% at both pH 6.5 and 7.5. The difference of extractions of all PHC fractions at pH values of 6.5 and 7.5 were not statistically significant (at p < 0.05 confidence level) at all three water content levels and pH did not have a significant influence on the PHC removal efficiency. Addition of acetone as a modifier (33.7% TPHF removal) was more effective than hexanes (24.3% TPHF removal) to decrease the concentrations of PHCs for the field contaminated soil. In the third phase, the influence of soil texture and grain size on the extraction of PHC fractions was investigated. SFE experiments were performed at 33 MPa pressure and 75 °C temperature. Three types of soils (soil A, B and C) were spiked with diesel fuel with a ratio of 5 wt%. Soil A, B and C had different particle sizes and were categorized as sand, silt loam and clay, respectively. Soil A (sand) which had the largest particle size resulted in the highest TPHF removal percentage while soil C (clay) with the smallest particle size led to the lowest TPHF removal percentage. A higher clay content in soil C resulted in a lower extraction of PHCs. In the fourth phase, the effects of pressure and temperature on the extraction of PHC fractions from a clay soil spiked with diesel fuel with a ratio of 5 wt% were investigated. SFE experiments were performed at three pressures (15, 33 and 50 MPa) and temperatures (30, 75 and 120 °C). According to the statistical analysis including factorial design and RSM, the optimized combination of pressure and temperature was selected at 42.8 MPa and 120 °C; which resulted in the removal percentages of 74.9% and 65.6% for PHC F2 and F3 fractions, respectively. The optimum combination of pressure and temperature based on the experimental results was selected at 33 MPa and 120 °C that led to 70.3%, 58.4% and 32.6% removal of PHC F2, F3 and F4 fractions, respectively.

The ability of Chromolaena odorata propagated by stem cuttings and grown for six weeks in the greenhouse to thrive in soil containing different concentrations of PCB congeners found in Aroclor and transformer oil, and to possibly remediate such soil was studied under greenhouse conditions. Chromolaena odorata plants were transplanted into soil containing 100, 200, and 500 ppm of Aroclor and transformer oil (T/O) in 1L pots. The experiments were watered daily at 70% moisture field capacity. Parameters such as mature leaves per plant, shoot length, leaf colour as well as the root length at harvest were measured. C. odorata growth was negatively affected by T/O in terms of shoot length and leaf numbers, but no growth inhibition was shown by Aroclor. At the end of six weeks of growth, Plants size was increased by 1.4 and 0.46%, but decreased at -1.0% in T/O, while increases of 45.9, 39.4 and 40.0% were observed in Aroclor treatments. Mean total PCB recoveries were 6.40, 11.7, and 55.8μg in plants tissues at Aroclor treated samples resulting in a percentage reduction of PCB from the soil to 2.10, 1.50, and 1.10 at 100, 200, and 500mg/kg Aroclor treatments respectively. There was no PCB recovery from plants in transformer oil treatments as a result of its inhibition to growth. Root uptake was found to be the probable means of remediation of PCB-contaminated soil by C. odorata, this was perhaps aided by microbes. This study has provided evidence on the ability of C. odorata to remediate PCB contaminated soil. However, the use of C. odorata for phytoremediation of PCB contaminated soil under field condition is therefore advised. / Environmental Sciences / M.Sc. (Environmental Science)

Die elektrokinetische Bodensanierung nutzt Transporteffekte aus, die entstehen, wenn ein elektrisches Feld an einen Bodenkörper angelegt wird. Die Sanierungsmethode versagt bei immobilen Schadstoffen. Allerdings scheint unter bestimmten Bedingungen ein im Boden induzierter Abbau der Schadstoffe möglich. Dafür müssen so genannte &amp;quot;Mikroleiter&amp;quot; und Redox-Systeme im Boden vorhanden sein. Hierzu werden theoretische Modelle vorgestellt. An einem konkreten Beispiel (mit aliphatischen Chlorkohlenwasserstoffen kontaminierter Boden) wurde getestet, ob direkt im Boden ein Abbau der Schadstoffe mit der Technik der elektrochemischen Bodensanierung erzielt werden kann. Die Analyse der CKW wurde per GC-MS durchgeführt. Theoretisch ist ein reduktiver Abbau oder eine Dechlorierung durch Eliminierungsreaktionen möglich. Die Ergebnisse der Laborversuche (Einwaage 100-3.000 g) erbrachten unter Einhaltung bestimmter Faktoren einen erfolgreichen Abbau der CKW. Bei ständiger Bewässerung des Bodens und einer Feldstärke von mindestens 600 V/m konnte ein Abbau festgestellt werden. Die Erhöhung des Chlorid-Gehaltes im Abwasser zeigt die erfolgreiche Abbaureaktion an. Potentielle Abbauprodukte mit weniger Chlor-Atomen im Molekülaufbau konnten nachgewiesen werden. Diese Stoffe lassen sich mit den ursprünglichen Kontaminationssubstanzen verknüpfen. Da eine Migration der Schadstoffe im elektrischen Feld nicht beobachtet wurde, wird eine im Boden induzierte Abbaureaktion angenommen. In Bodenzonen mit hohem pH-Wert (Eliminierung) und in Kathodennähe (Reduktion) waren die stärksten Abbauraten zu verzeichnen. Bei Versuchen ohne ständige Bewässerung war der CKW-Abbau schwach. Die Widerstände stiegen stark an. Ein Versuch in einem Container (Einwaage Boden: ca. 2 t) erbrachte nur einen punktuellen Abbau der CKW. Die Struktur des Originalbodens verhinderte den Aufbau eines homogenen elektrischen Feldes. In einem Fassversuch (Einwaage Boden: ca. 33 kg) wurden die Versuchsbedingungen modifiziert. Anlagerungen an allen Elektroden verhinderten eine ausreichend hohe effektive Feldstärke im Bodenkörper. Sanierungseffekte fanden nur lokal begrenzt statt. Im Vergleich von Labor zu Großversuchen zeigte sich, dass die eingetragene Ladungsmenge eine entscheidende Rolle spielt.

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Le thème principal de cette recherche est la remédiation des sols contaminés par des hydrocarbures en utilisant des traitements d'oxydation chimique à pH neutre. Les minéraux à base de fer sont susceptibles de catalyser cette réaction d'oxydation. L'étude concerne donc dans un premier temps la synthèse des minéraux réactifs contenant des espèces FeII et FeIII (la magnétite et la rouille verte) et, dans un second temps, leur utilisation pour catalyser l'oxydation chimique. Les procédés d'oxydation testés incluent l'oxydation de type « Fenton-like (FL) » et de type persulfate activé (AP). La formation de la magnétite et de la rouille verte a été étudiée par des transformations abiotiques de différents oxydes ferriques (ferrihydrite, goethite, hématite et lépidocrocite) mis en présence de cations FeII. La magnétite a été utilisée pour catalyser les oxydations (FL et AP) dans la dégradation des hydrocarbures aliphatiques et aromatiques polycycliques (HAP) à pH neutre. Une dégradation importante des hydrocarbures aliphatiques a été obtenue par ces deux oxydants, aussi bien pour des pétroles dégradés naturellement que pour un pétrole brut. L'oxydation catalysée par la magnétite a également été efficace pour la remédiation de deux sols contaminés par HAP provenant d'anciens sites de cokerie. Aucun sous-produit n'a été observé dans nos expériences d'oxydation. En revanche, une très faible dégradation des hydrocarbures a été observée lorsque les espèces FeII solubles ont été utilisées comme catalyseur. Des expériences d'oxydation ont également été réalisées en colonne. Ces études d'oxydation ont révélé l'importance du type de catalyseur utilisé pour l'oxydation, la disponibilité des HAP dans les sols et l'effet de la matrice du sol. Les résultats suggèrent que la magnétite peut être utilisée comme source de fer pour activer les deux oxydations par Fenton-like et persulfate à pH neutre. Ce travail a de fortes implications sur la remédiation par oxydation chimique in situ des sols pollués par des hydrocarbures / The main theme of this research is the use of reactive iron minerals in the remediation of hydrocarbon contaminated soils via chemical oxidation treatments at circumneutral pH. The contribution of this thesis is two-fold including the abiotic synthesis of mixed FeII-FeIII oxides considered as reactive iron minerals (magnetite and green rust) and their use to catalyze chemical oxidation. Oxidation methods tested in this study include Fenton-like (FL) and activated persulfate oxidation (AP). The formation of magnetite and green rust was studied by abiotic FeII-induced transformations of various ferric oxides like ferrihydrite, goethite, hematite and lepidocrocite. Then, the ability of magnetite was tested to catalyze chemical oxidation (FL and AP) for the degradation of aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at circumneutral pH. Significant degradation of oil hydrocarbons occurring in weathered as well as in crude oil was obtained by both oxidants. Magnetite catalyzed oxidation was also effective for remediation of two PAHs contaminated soils from ancient coking plant sites. No by-products were observed in all batch slurry oxidation systems. Very low hydrocarbon degradation was observed when soluble FeII was used as catalyst under the same experimental conditions. Magnetite also exhibited high reactivity to catalyze chemical oxidation in column experiments under flow through conditions. Oxidation studies revealed the importance of catalyst type for oxidation, PAHs availability in soils and the soil matrix effect. Results of this study suggest that magnetite can be used as iron source to activate both Fenton-like and persulfate oxidation at circumneutral pH. This study has important implications in the remediation of hydrocarbon polluted soils through in-situ chemical oxidation

Western Palm Beach County, FL is characterized by thick deposits organic soils at shallow depths. Because of their high void ratio and compressibility, these soils undergo large primary consolidation followed by extended periods of secondary compression causing excessive premature structural distress. Although soil stabilization has been largely used with remarkable results in soft, expansive and non-organic soils, limited research and practice exist in the implementation with highly organic soils. The main motivation of this research was to investigate the effects of cement stabilization on the compressibility behavior of organic rich soils, and develop mix design criteria for optimum cement contents necessary to induce the desired engineering behavior. This optimized mix design may provide guidelines for Deep Mixing Methods in organic soils. / by Juan Ramirez. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Post-remediation soil, ground and surface water monitoring is essential to assess the effectiveness of remediation efforts undertaken to eliminate or minimize the risk of pollution to human health and valuable ecosystems. In that regard, comparison of pollution levels pre- and post-remediation is an effective way of evaluating the effectiveness of the remediation techniques used. Thus, this study sought to measure concentrations of pollutants in the soil, ground and surface water post remediation in Steel Valley, Vanderbijlpark and compare them to concentration levels prior to remediation, as well as compare them to internationally accepted standards with respect to risk to humans and the environment. Water samples were collected from three locations within the study site, in both the dry and rainy seasons and their physio-chemical and organic properties were tested. Soil samples were collected from six different locations within the study site and analysed for metal concentrations. The data was compared against that of the Iron and Steel Corporation (ISCOR) Vanderbijlpark Environmental Master Plan (EMP), water and soil guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as South African water and soil guidelines. The study found that groundwater is generally safe for domestic use but Aluminium (Al), Iron (Fe) and Manganese (Mn) concentrations were above South African water quality guideline levels – with their concentrations ranging from 0.54 to 0.91 mg/L, 1.01 to 1.86 mg/L and 0.24 to 0.53 mg/L respectively. There were no traces of organic pollution in the water samples. Soil samples had levels of Al ranging from 1106 mg/kg to 1 3621 mg/kg, Mn concentrations in the range of 202.8 to 966.4 mg/kg and Fe ranging from 1 1587 to 23 201 mg/kg. Thus, water and soil at the selected sites are safe in terms of physico-chemical and organic quality. Natural attenuation should be able, over time, to further reduce the levels of parameters that are currently above the target range. Thus, there has been considerable reduction in pollutant concentrations, but as this study was limited in scope, additional research is needed to verify the results. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Science)