How Contaminated Soil is Safely Remediated and Processed

Created on:

May 30, 2023

Soil contamination is a problem that's growing every year. According to the EPA, millions of acres of contaminated soil are cleaned up in the United States every year. That number continues to grow as we learn about new contaminants and how they affect our health and environment. The good news is that there are several ways to safely remove contaminants from the soil so it’s usable again for construction or farming purposes. In this article, we explore some of those methods and how they work.

Contaminated Soil is a Serious Problem

Contaminated soil is a serious problem, and it's not going away anytime soon. Soil is one of the most common environmental contaminants in the United States, with nearly 70 percent of our land surface containing some level of contamination. The EPA's Superfund Program has been around since 1980, helping clean up sites affected by hazardous waste and cleaning up contaminated sites across America. 

A Common Environmental Contaminant

Soil is one of the most common environmental contaminants. It’s contaminated by many substances, including petroleum products, solvents, and pesticides. Soil is a mixture of minerals and organic matter that covers about one-third of Earth's surface. It's also an important part of our natural environment! It provides food for plants, absorbs rainfall, and helps prevent erosion by binding loose particles together into clumps that don't wash away easily during floods or storms.

Research is the First Step

The first step is to determine whether or not there are any contaminants present at all and what they are, which involves testing samples taken from different depths within a site using laboratory methods such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS). This data helps determine how deep remediation needs to go in order to reach all areas affected by pollution. If there is enough funding available for complete removal then no further action may be necessary beyond this point. However, if additional work needs doing then it takes time before remediation begins because more research must be done before any action takes place on-site itself

Contaminate Removal

Removing contaminated soil is a vital first step in the cleanup process. However, it's important to remember that removing the soil does not mean it is gone forever. It just means that you have removed it from its current location and placed it somewhere else where it’s safe until you dispose of it properly.

Removing contaminated soil is only part of the cleanup process; after removal comes the processing and disposal of said material. Processing involves treating contaminated materials so they are safe enough for disposal or reuse in another location. This is done through incineration (burning), composting, landfill burial, or other methods depending on what kind of contamination has been found. 

Once processed products are ready for disposal or reuse elsewhere.

Cleaning up contaminated soil is a complex process that requires specialized equipment and knowledge of how to handle hazardous materials. It also involves working with local government agencies to ensure that all appropriate permits are obtained before any work begins on-site. This is why hiring Alliance for any commercial property soil remediation is beneficial. We are the experts when it comes to remediating soil, and we know all the ins and outs of working with authorities in order to remove and remediate the soil safely. 

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