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Green and Sustainable Groundwater and Soil Remediation Approaches

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 September 2021) | Viewed by 11162

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Milica Velimirovic

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Guest Editor

Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Sustainable Chemistry, Boeretang 200, Belgium
Interests: sustainable groundwater remediation; nanoparticles analysis; microplastics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The contamination of soils and groundwaters is a challenging problem in most industrialized countries. Although traditional remediation approaches lead to improved environmental restoration of contaminated sites and reduce overall risks to human health and the environment, the associated time-consuming and expensive operations, extensive performance monitoring, and post-closure care can lead to unexpected environmental impacts. Therefore, the development of green and sustainable remediation approaches presents an important path forward.

This Special Issue focuses on the past, present, and future developments of green and sustainable remediation approaches that should rely on an open discussion between remediation researchers, as well as policy-makers and practitioners.

Contributions are encouraged to present experimental studies related to innovative green remediation technologies and critical discussion of implementing an environmental cleanup and incorporating options to minimize the impact of the cleanup action; assessment of life-cycle environmental, social, and economic impacts; the importance of a balanced decision-making process; the future challenges for research. The critical discussion of the importance of green and sustainable remediation approaches in developing countries is also encouraged.

Dr. Milica Velimirovic
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

Green remediation approaches
Sustainable remediation
Groundwater contamination
Soil pollution
Contaminated site management
Environmental footprint analysis
Life-cycle assessment
Sustainability assessment

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 2428 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bacterial Resistance against Heavy Metals in Pseudomonas aeruginosa RW9 Involving Hexavalent Chromium Removal

by Fatini Mat Arisah, Amirah Farhana Amir, Norhayati Ramli, Hidayah Ariffin, Toshinari Maeda, Mohd Ali Hassan and Mohd Zulkhairi Mohd Yusoff

Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9797; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13179797 - 31 Aug 2021

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 2267

Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa RW9 is a promising candidate for the bioremediation of chromium hexavalent (Cr(VI)) pollution, as it resists a high concentration of up to 60 mg/L of Cr(VI). Leaving cells exposed to Cr(VI) has large bioreduction potential, implying its capacity to extract the ions from the contaminated medium. In this study, the tolerance for and distribution of Cr(VI) were investigated to identify the cells’ adaptation and removal strategies. Micro-characterization analysis was conducted to assess the effect of Cr(VI) on the cells. The cells’ elongation was observed at higher Cr(VI) concentrations, signifying their adaptation to DNA damage caused by Cr(VI) toxicity. Cr(VI) distribution analysis showed that the strain developed a complex mechanism to adapt to Cr(VI), based on surface-bound (0.46 mg/L), intracellularly accumulated (1.24 mg/L) and extracellular sequestration (6.74 mg/L), which accounted for 85% of the removal efficiency. The extracellular sequestration might be attributable to the production of metabolites, in accordance with the fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra and orcinol analysis that confirmed the presence of a glycolipid biosurfactant, rhamnolipid. Remarkably, the rhamnolipid was slightly induced in the presence of Cr(VI). From the data obtained, it was confirmed that this local strain is well equipped to survive high doses of Cr(VI) and has great potential for application in Cr(VI) bioremediation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Sustainable Groundwater and Soil Remediation Approaches)

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18 pages, 2457 KiB

Open AccessArticle

INSIDE-T: A Groundwater Contamination Transport Model for Sustainability Assessment in Remediation Practice

by Mehran Naseri-Rad, Ronny Berndtsson, Ursula S. McKnight, Magnus Persson and Kenneth M. Persson

Sustainability 2021, 13(14), 7596; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13147596 - 07 Jul 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2121

Abstract

Current sustainability assessment (SA) tools to help deal with contaminated groundwater sites are inherently subjective and hardly applied. One reason may be lack of proper tools for addressing contaminant spread which are basically objective. To fill this gap, there is a need for contaminant transport models that provide site managers with needed room for applying their judgments and considerations about the efficiency of each remediation method based on their experiences in similar cases. INSIDE-T uses trend analysis and inverse modeling to estimate transport parameters. It then simulates contaminant transport both with and without the inclusion of remedial actions in a transparent way. The sustainability of each remedy measure can then be quantified based on the underlying SA tool (INSIDE). INSIDE-T was applied to a site in south Sweden, contaminated with pentachlorophenol. Simulation scenarios were developed to enable comparison between various remediation strategies and combinations of these. The application indicated that natural attenuation was not a viable option within the timeframe of interest. Although pump-and-treat combined with a permeable reactive barrier was found to be just as effective as bioremediation after five years, it received a much lower sustainability score overall. INSIDE-T outcomes enable site managers to test and evaluate different scenarios, a necessity in participatory decision-making practices such as remediation projects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Sustainable Groundwater and Soil Remediation Approaches)

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13 pages, 1853 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Remediation Techniques for Cadmium-Contaminated Dredged River Sediments after Land Disposal

by Changsong Zhang, Xueke Zang, Zhenxue Dai, Xiaoying Zhang and Ziqi Ma

Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6093; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13116093 - 28 May 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2198

Abstract

This paper examines the remediation techniques of cadmium (Cd)-contaminated dredged river sediments after land disposal in a city in East China. Three remediation techniques, including stabilization, soil leaching, and phytoremediation, are compared by analyzing the performance of the techniques for Cd-contaminated soil remediation. The experimental results showed that the stabilization technique reduced the leaching rate of soil Cd from 33.3% to 14.3%, thus effectively reducing the biological toxicity of environmental Cd, but the total amount of Cd in soil did not decrease. Leaching soil with citric acid and oxalic acid achieved Cd removal rates of 90.1% and 92.4%, respectively. Compared with these two remediation techniques, phytoremediation was more efficient and easier to implement and had less secondary pollution, but it took more time, usually several years. In this study, these three remediation techniques were analyzed and discussed from technical, economic, and environmental safety perspectives by comprehensively considering the current status and future plans of the study site. Soil leaching was found to be the best technique for timely treatment of Cd contamination in dredged river sediments after land disposal. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Sustainable Groundwater and Soil Remediation Approaches)

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18 pages, 3734 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Quantitative Approach to Assessing the Technical and Economic Performance of Source Containment Options for Contaminated Aquifers

by Alessandro Casasso, Agnese Salomone, Carlo Bianco, Giovanni Prassede and Rajandrea Sethi

Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5346; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13105346 - 11 May 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1639

Abstract

The containment of contaminant plumes to protect groundwater from pollution is recognized as a frequent need in brownfield redevelopment. Plume containment can be physical, with slurry walls, jet grouting etc., or hydraulic, with wells capturing the subsurface flow that crosses the contaminated front (Pump & Treat), or a combination of both types. The choice of the most suitable technique is a difficult task, since various aspects must be taken into consideration. In this paper, we present a framework for evaluating barriers in terms of effectiveness and efficiency, along with a simplified approach for the evaluation of capital and operational costs. The contaminant mass discharge escaping from the containment system is a robust indicator of its effectiveness, and can be derived from modelling results. The abstracted water flowrate is a key indicator of the efficiency and sustainability of each option, especially in the long term. The methodology is tested in a simplified case study and in a real one, highlighting the relevance of modelling results in guiding the choice and design of contaminant source containment systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Sustainable Groundwater and Soil Remediation Approaches)

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16 pages, 1685 KiB

Open AccessArticle

AdRem: An Integrated Approach for Adaptive Remediation

by Valerio Palma, Federico Accorsi, Alessandro Casasso, Carlo Bianco, Sarah Cutrì, Matteo Robiglio and Tiziana Tosco

Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 28; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13010028 - 22 Dec 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2249

Abstract

Abandoned industrial sites are generally characterized by soil and subsoil contamination. The paradigm currently employed for their remediation is “tabula rasa”, i.e., remediation of the entire site before its repurpose. However, this method is not economically, socially, or technologically sustainable: it delays the reuse of large areas, often well-connected to infrastructures, whose reuse may prevent further soil consumption. A possible solution to this problem is the application of adaptive reuse principles. This study, conducted at FULL (Future Urban Legacy Lab) in Politecnico di Torino, presents an interdisciplinary approach to spatialize, visualize, and manage interactions between reclamation and urban design for the transformation of contaminated urban areas. The core is based on a decision support parametric toolkit, named AdRem, developed to compare available remediation techniques and schematic urban design solutions. AdRem uses a 3D modeling interface and VPL scripting. Required input data are a geometric description of the site, data on the contamination status, viable remediation techniques, and associated features, and schematic urban design recommendations. A filtering process selects the techniques compatible with the site use foreseen. The output is an optimized remediation and reuse plan that can support an interdisciplinary discussion on possible site regeneration options. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Sustainable Groundwater and Soil Remediation Approaches)

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