MODULE 4 – ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS OF
BROWNFIELD REGENERATION
MODULE 2
Author:
Contact:
Slides:
Planning in Brownfield Regeneration
Barbara Vojvodíková, Marcela Maturová
barbara.vojvodikova@vsb.cz, marcela.maturova@vsb.cz
27 (1 + 25 + 1)
List of References:
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European Commission. (2010). Communication from the Commission – Europe 2020. A Strategy for
Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive growth, Brussels, COM March 3rd
European Soil Portal – Soil Data and Information Systems (2012) [online] [cit 12.3.2012]
http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/library/themes/contamination/
European Environmental Agency (2007) Overview of progress in the management of contaminated
sites in Europe, [online] [cit 12.3.2012] http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/overviewof-progress-in-the-management-of-contaminated-sites-in-europe
European Environmental Agency (2007b) Overview of Activities Causing soil Contamination in Europe
[online] [cit 12.3.2012] http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/overview-of-activitiescausing-soil-contamination-in-europe/
European Environmental Agency (2007c) Overview of Contaminants Affecting Soil and Groundwater in
Europe Europe, [online] [cit 12.3.2012] http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/overviewof-contaminants-affecting-soil-and-groundwater-in-europe
Ministry of Enviroment (2008), Metodický pokyn 14/2008, Hodnocení priorit -kategorizace
kontaminovaných a potenciálně kontaminovaných mist
Ministry of Enviroment (2011), Věstník ministerstva životního prostředí 3/2011 Metodický pokyn
odboru ekologických škod MŽP - Analýza rizik kontaminovaného území, [online] [cit 12.3.2012]
http://www.mzp.cz/osv/edice.nsf/46861B2409735127C125784E0043418B/$file/OVVVestnik_3_2011-09032011.pdf
U.S. EPA, (1997), Ecological Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund: Process for Designing and
Conducting Ecological Risk Assessments, Interim Final; Appendix A - Example Ecological Risk
Assessment for Hypothetical Sites
United States Environmental Protection Emergency (2001a) A Citizen’s Guide to Activated Carbon
Treatment [EPA 542-F-01-020],
United States Environmental Protection Emergency (2001b) A Citizen’s Guide to Air Stripping [EPA
542-F-01-016],
United States Environmental Protection Emergency (2001c) A Citizen’s Guide to Bioremediation [EPA
542-F-01-001],
United States Environmental Protection Emergency (2001d) A Citizen’s Guide to ChemicalOxidation
[EPA 542-F-01-013]
United States Environmental Protection Emergency (2001e)A Citizen’s Guide to Excavation [EPA 542F-01-023]).
United States Environmental Protection Emergency (2001f) A Citizen’s Guide to Soil Washing [EPA
542-F-01-008 ],
United States Environmental Protection Emergency (2001g) A Citizen’s Guide to Thermal Desorption
[EPA 542-F-01-003] ,
Tylčer J. in Jackson. J (2005).: Brownfields snadno a lehce- attachment 4, Praha 2005
Module 4 – Environmental Aspects of Brownfield Regeneration
Slide 1
Manual – Slide 1
Title slide - please retain the authors´ names but you
can add your name for making presentation,
especially when adding your own examples.
Slide 2
Manual – Slide 2
Awareness level in the field of environmental
aspects of brownfield regeneration:
 What does contaminated site means?
 What are basic steps in site exploration in
relation to environmental burdens?
 What is elementary classification of
decontamination methods?
 How do selected decontamination methods
work?
Slide 3
Manual – Slide 3
The goals of this teaching unit are mainly:
Environmental aspects of brownfield regeneration
encompass broad range of problems; fauna and flora,
landscape impacts, health risks. Each of the problem
group itself is so complex that it would need
standalone presentation. That is why this unit is
focused only on contamination. Approaches to
contamination assessment are outlined and selected
decontamination methods introduced.
Slide 4
Manual – Slide 4
The content of this teaching unit consists of the
following topics to be explained in details:
 Contaminated site term definition
 Environmental assessment procedure
 Sampling steps
 Decontamination methods classification
 Decontamination methods examples
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Module 4 – Environmental Aspects of Brownfield Regeneration
Slide 5
Manual – Slide 5
Environmental aspects can be explained from various
points of view.
If we can understand term
environment as an area – space for living. We have to
calculate social, architectonical, economical as well
as human health aspect.
Because the other parts including the next parts in
this curse is for this presentation
important
contamination as the significant effects on human
health.
As we can see on this slide, contamination can be
present in construction – it can be danger if we want
to use this areal for example for housing. And when
we demolished this construction we have to do
something with danger waste.
Contamination which is present in soil can be
migrating to air and effect human health in form of
volatile Dust.
Also is necessary monitoring position of
contamination in saturated zone. If this underground
d water use as drinking water it can be very danger
for human health. That why is necessary to speak
about contamination and decontamination methods
as a possibility to reduce hazards.
Slide 6
Manual – Slide 6
This is general definition of contaminated site. It is
definition of the state which is confirmed by e.g.
performed examinations.
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Module 4 – Environmental Aspects of Brownfield Regeneration
Slide 7
Manual – Slide 7
More interesting are localities are those where we
assume that contamination could be present but we
are not certain. Special attention should be paid to
such sites and environmental assessment should be
carried out.
Slide 8
Manual – Slide 8
Environmental assessment comprises of three phases
however it is not required to design detail of
remediation actions in first assessment of the site.
Slide 9
Manual – Slide 9
This preliminary site evaluation is based especially on
economical demands for site examination. It is not
economically affordable to perform detailed analysis
of the whole area so places need to be identified
where the worst situation is expected according to
the site’s past use.
Slide 10
Manual – Slide 10
After site assessment has been carried out the most
risky areas are examined. The goal is to determine
borders of the worst contaminated zone.
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Module 4 – Environmental Aspects of Brownfield Regeneration
Slide 11
Manual – Slide 11
Sampling itself consists of seven steps:
1. a sample is planned;
2. a sampling point is identified;
3. the sample is collected;
4. the sample is transferred to the laboratory;
5. the sample is analyzed;
6. the sample expires and is discarded; and
7. the sample reincarnates as a chemical data
point.
Slide 12
Manual – Slide 12
Appropriate remediation methods can be designed
according to assessment findings. Following two
goals should be set for soil remediation:
 eliminate exposure of living organism to
contamination
 eliminate
sources
of
groundwater
contamination
Slide 13
Manual – Slide 13
Decontamination methods can be classified by these
criteria
 by place
 according remediated media type
 according used strategies
Slide 14
Manual – Slide 14
"In situ" decontamination is a treatment method
that involves removing the pollutants in place and
cleaning the soil and the groundwater
"ex-situ" means that the contaminated materials are
extracted or removed from the environment, either
definitively (in the case of destruction), or
temporarily (in the case that the contaminated
products are "cleaned").
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Module 4 – Environmental Aspects of Brownfield Regeneration
Slide 15
Manual – Slide 15
Different media types require different
decontamination technologies.
Slide 16
Manual – Slide 16
Pollutants immobilization: Barriers, Solidification
and stabilisation
Exchange from liquid phase to soil phase by chemical
reaction.
Dispersing by chemical reaction.
Extraction and separation from environment
This group includes thermal desorption, washing,
dissolvent extraction, venting, treatment of
groundwater by separation of phases, activated
carbon adsorption, air stripping and combination of
these approaches. When choosing from these
methods and their combinations it is necessary to
select those which offer the most efficient
transportation mechanism so that maximal overall
efficiency is reached.
Disintegration and transformation of pollutant
Thermal, biological and chemical methods.
Examples of selected methods follow.
Slide 17
Manual – Slide 17
This is an example of contaminated soil isolating
without its further cleaning. Contaminated soil was
extracted, concentrated on a single place and
isolated. The place had been adapted to a park. The
photo was taken in Ruhr District, Germany.
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Module 4 – Environmental Aspects of Brownfield Regeneration
Slide 18
Manual – Slide 18
Thermal desorption removes harmful chemicals from
soil and other materials (like sludge and sediment) by
using heat to change the chemicals into gases.
These gases are collected with special equipment.
The dust and harmful chemicals are separated from
the gases and disposed of safely. The clean soil is
returned to the site.
Thermal desorption is not the same as incineration,
which uses heat to destroy the chemicals.
Slide 19
Manual – Slide 19
This scheme describes procedure of thermal
desorption process; the scheme was taken from
below-mentioned source. A lot of useful descriptions
of various methods can be found on the US EPA
website.
Thermal desorption uses equipment called a
desorber to clean polluted soil. Soil is excavated and
placed in the desorber.
The desorber works like a large oven. When the soil
gets hot enough, the harmful chemicals evaporate.
To get the soil ready for the desorber, workers may
need to crush it, dry it, blend it with sand, or remove
debris. This allows the desorber to clean the soil
more evenly and easily.
Slide 20
Manual – Slide 20
It’s the process of forcing air through polluted water
to remove harmful chemicals.
The air causes the chemicals to change from a liquid
to a gas (evaporate).
The gas is then collected and cleaned.
It’s commonly used to treat groundwater as part of a
pump and treat remedy.
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Module 4 – Environmental Aspects of Brownfield Regeneration
Slide 21
Manual – Slide 21
Air stripping is safe to use.
Air strippers can be brought to the site so polluted
water does not have to be transported to a cleanup
facility.
The polluted water is contained throughout cleanup
so there is no chance for coming into contact with
the water.
The polluted gases that are produced by the air
stripping are cleaned up and tested.
Slide 22
Manual – Slide 22
Chemicals tend to stick or absorb to some types of
soil more than others. For instance, chemicals absorb
more to fine-grained soils like silt and clay than to
larger-grained soils like sand and gravel.
Soil washing helps separate the silt and clay from the
larger-grained, cleaner soils
Soil washing can clean up a variety of chemicals, such
as fuels, metals, and pesticides that can absorb to
soil.
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Module 4 – Environmental Aspects of Brownfield Regeneration
Slide 23
Manual – Slide 23
Before using soil washing, soil dug from the polluted
area is sifted to remove large objects, like rocks and
debris.
The sifted soil is placed in a machine called a
scrubbing unit. Water is added to the polluted soil in
the scrubbing unit.
The mixture of soil and water is passed through
sieves, mixing blades, and water sprays.
This washes the silt and clay from the larger-grained
soil and separates them.
Some of the pollution may dissolve in the water or
float to the top. The polluted wash water is removed
and cleaned up at a treatment plant.
The clean water then can be reused in the scrubbing
unit or discharged.
The silt and clay may be washed again in the
scrubbing unit or cleaned using another method like
bioremediation or thermal desorption
The sand and gravel that settle to the bottom of the
scrubbing unit also are tested for chemicals.
If the sand and gravel are clean, they can be placed
back on the site. If pollution is still present, they are
washed again in the scrubbing unit. If necessary,
another method is used to finish the cleanup.
Slide 24
Manual – Slide 24
http://www.frtr.gov/matrix2/section4/4_1.html
In addition to degradation of adsorbed fuel residuals,
volatile compounds are biodegraded as vapors move
slowly through biologically active soil. The U.S. Air
Force has produced a technical memorandum which
summarizes the results of bioventing treatability
studies of fuels conducted at 145 US Air Force sites.
The memorandum discusses overall study results and
presents cost and performance data and lessons
learned.
Regulatory acceptance of this technology has been
obtained in 30 states and in all 10 EPA regions, and
the use of this technology in the private sector is
growing rapidly following USAF leadership.
Bioventing is a medium to long-term technology.
Cleanup ranges from a few months to several years.
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Module 4 – Environmental Aspects of Brownfield Regeneration
Slide 25
Manual – Slide 25
Bioventing techniques have been successfully used to
remediate soils contaminated by petroleum
hydrocarbons, nonchlorinated solvents, some
pesticides, wood preservatives, and other organic
chemicals. While bioremediation cannot degrade
inorganic contaminants, bioremediation can be used
to change the valence state of inorganics and cause
adsorption, uptake, accumulation, and concentration
of inorganics in micro or macroorganisms. These
techniques, while still largely experimental, show
considerable promise of stabilizing or removing
inorganics from soil.
Factors that may limit the applicability and
effectiveness of the process include: The water table
within several feet of the surface, saturated soil
lenses, or low permeability soils reduce bioventing
performance.
Vapors can build up in basements within the radius
of influence of air injection wells. This problem can
be alleviated by extracting air near the structure of
concern.
Extremely low soil moisture content may limit
biodegradation and the effectiveness of bioventing.
Monitoring of off-gases at the soil surface may be
required.
Aerobic biodegradation of many chlorinated
compounds may not be effective unless there is a cometabolite present, or an anaerobic cycle.
Low temperatures may slow remediation, although
successful remediation has been demonstrated in
extremely cold weather climates.
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Module 4 – Environmental Aspects of Brownfield Regeneration
Slide 26
Manual – Slide 26
What did we learn
 For determination of site’s environmental
burdens it is necessary to perform site
investigation.
 Based on the findings a proper
decontamination method or combination of
methods must be chosen.
 There are many decontamination methods
and their suitability depends on media type
and contaminants detected.
Slide 27
Manual – Slide 27
Please, open discussion on this topic.
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