If you are responsible for clearing up a brownfield site to make it fit for purpose, you will need to consider carefully the options available for soil remediation, or soil washing. This will be the case whether the land is being developed for residential building or for recreational use. Land used for industrial or commercial purposes will be heavily contaminated.

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Soil remediation can be divided into two categories:

1) In Situ Remediation

– Air sparging

A mechanical process, this is a very popular method of remediation and is used when soil is contaminated with toxic gas or vapours. The process involves applying pressurised air into soil or groundwater; this removes unstable organic compounds. The other way of removing these is by carbon filtering. If hydrocarbon contaminants are present in soil, then air sparging is most likely the best method to apply.

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– Bioremediation

This is a biological method which uses engineered aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. These are specially selected to work on the specific contaminants present in the soil. One could liken the process to yeast feeding on sugar in the beer-brewing process. Although this is an extremely effective method, it does require certain conditions – mainly a temperature of above 70 degrees F and very little moisture.

– Encapsulation

This method is quite drastic and should only be used in exceptional circumstances. It renders the soil unfit for any cultivation purposes. This method effectively isolates the soil and prevents it from contaminating any other soil in the area. A common method of carrying out encapsulation is to mix the soil with lime, cement and concrete.

If you are looking for a well-established soil remediation company, look no further than https://soilfix.co.uk/services/soil-groundwater-remediation, who will be able to cater for all of your needs. The first stage in the process will be to take a sample of the soil to establish the best method of remediation.

2) Off-Site Remediation

The main off-site soil remediation method is thermal soil remediation. This is best reserved for soil contaminated by oil or petroleum or contaminated water. The soil is removed and baked in a very hot oven via a conveyor belt. The contaminants evaporate and are taken away to be disposed of safely.