Soil and groundwater decontamination and remediation
What is
soil decontamination?
Soil decontamination, also called remediation, is a treatment or set of operations carried out in places where industrial or urban pollution has caused a degradation of the environment that may pose a risk to human health and/or the environment.
Contaminated soil is defined as soil whose chemical, physical or biological characteristics have been negatively altered by the presence of hazardous chemical components of human origin, in such a concentration that it poses an unacceptable risk to human health (by contact, ingestion, inhalation of vapours, etc.) or to the environment. In this situation, the necessary actions must be taken to proceed with environmental remediation, either by means of a voluntary decontamination project or by means of an express requirement contained in a resolution of the competent administration, which would imply a legal declaration of contaminated land.
The aim of remediation is to eliminate the polluting substances or reduce their presence to admissible concentrations, both in the soil and in the associated groundwater.
How can we help you?
Our specialists have more than 20 years of experience in soil and groundwater decontamination and accompany you through all stages of the process, from the initial study to the final remediation.
Each installation presents a specific problem and we must study it in detail in order to carry out an individual decontamination project adapted to the pollutants and the type of site.
Our work begins by assessing the degree of contamination at the site. Through the analytical characterisation of soils and associated groundwater, we will establish whether there is contamination and of what type.
Soil decontamination process
If there is a risk to health or the environment
Approval of the project by the competent bodySoil decontamination process
If there is a risk to health or the environment
Approval of the project by the competent body
In this stage we will delimit the contamination, both horizontally and vertically, and we will determine the parameters that are above the regulatory limit values set out in Royal Decree 9/2005, which establishes the list of potentially soil-polluting activities and the criteria and standards for the declaration of contaminated soils, which establishes the criteria and standards for assessing the risks that may affect human health and the environment according to the nature and uses of the soils.
The subsequent quantitative analysis of risks to health and the environment (RCA) provides us with the information necessary to conclude whether there is a risk to health and/or the environment. If such a risk exists, we will prepare a decontamination or remediation project specific to the facility and the contaminants found there.
Our aim is to adjust the costs of decontamination as much as possible, defining as precisely as possible the objectives we want to achieve. A greater effort in the investigation and problem definition phase will result in lower remediation costs.
At Apave we carry out all phases of the remediation process: piezometer network for gas and/or groundwater extraction, supervision of civil works for the installation of gas or water pumping lines and other treatment facilities, the design, construction and commissioning of treatment modules and the control and monitoring of all phases of decontamination, including equipment maintenance.
In this sense, we provide integrated gas or water treatment modules, with pneumatic and/or vacuum technologies, water treatment by decantation and coalescence for hydrocarbons and other substances and by stripping tower for solvents and VOCs. We also include chemical oxidation processes and secondary treatments with activated carbon filters.
Learn more about the process of remediation of contaminated soils
Soil decontamination units
Before remediation begins, we design and build individual decontamination units, usually installed inside a module that can be remotely controlled by a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). These modules have soil and groundwater treatment systems, eliminating the free phase (which is the water-immiscible liquid that in groundwater contamination processes constitutes a distinct layer in the water), treating the contaminant dissolved in the groundwater and extracting the vapour phase (vapours that concentrate in the pores of the soil above the water table).
The decontamination method used at each site depends on the extent and intensity of the contamination and the media affected, the hydrogeological operating model and the application constraints.
We control the process in two ways: on the one hand, we carry out periodic visits to the facilities to check the perfect operation of the installations and carry out all those tasks that contribute to the monitoring of the contamination levels. On the other hand, we carry out a remote control of the decontamination installations that allows us to detect deviations and possible system failures and to correct them quickly.
With the application of appropriate decontamination techniques and the design of effective systems, we can reduce the risk derived from soil contamination, prevent irreversible damage and design regenerative actions for the altered environment, recovering or modifying the future use of the affected sites. Likewise, we can eliminate or reduce the remaining contamination to acceptable risk levels that allow the land to obtain the administrative resolution declaring it decontaminated land.
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Why choose Apave?
a team of experts at your disposal
Geographical coverage nationwide
