Healthy soil is essential for farming, wildlife, construction, and clean water supplies worldwide. Across Europe, however, millions of sites are believed to contain harmful pollutants caused by industry, chemicals, and waste disposal. Cleaning contaminated soil has therefore become an important environmental priority.
Understanding Soil Contamination
Soil contamination is the presence of contaminants in the soil and has an influence on the environment and or nearby water sources. The soil can become contaminated during industrial activities, fuel spills, during mining activities and by chemicals. After the land has been contaminated, it has to be investigated by environmental experts to assess how far the contamination has spread and if remediation is needed.
The first stage usually involves testing the soil to identify the type and level of contamination present. Some pollutants remain close to the surface, while others spread deeper underground and affect groundwater systems. In some cases, specialists involved in groundwater remediation such as https://soilfix.co.uk/services/groundwater-remediation may also monitor nearby rivers and drainage systems for signs of pollution spreading further.
Common Soil Cleaning Methods
There are various ways to clean contaminated dirt. The method chosen depends on the extent of pollution. In extreme cases, contaminated earth is removed and taken to specialist landfill sites. In other cases, on-site systems clean contaminated earth using air, water and biological material.
There are some modern projects in which natural microbes can break down hazardous substances safely and efficiently over time. Contaminants can also be absorbed by plants before they are disposed of. Inorganic pollutants can also be extracted from the environment by chemical extraction processes.
