3.1 Methods of soil remediation
The methods and techniques for remediating contaminated soils may be subdivided into two strategies:
- confination;
- treatment.
Confination technologies include (civil) engineering techniques that have the objective of removing or isolating the source of contamination, or of modifying migration ways or percourses. Such techniques comprehend:
- excavation and landfilling both inside and outside the site;
- barriers created in the contaminated soil;
- soil incapsulation; soil solidification;
- hydraulic intervention (pumping, washing).
Important factors driving the selection of such techniques are:
- large space available within the contaminated land;
- available geological and hydrogeological background studies;
- availability of natural/seminatural materials (geomembranes, geotextiles) to dress the excavated materials and to cover the contaminated material;
- the possible impact derived from excavation and /or disturbance;
- sterilization of the whole area devoted to infrastructures and building constructions.