Types of environmental remediation services?

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Environmental remediation refers to the process of removing contaminants from groundwater, soil or surface water. Different types of environmental remediation services include environmental cleanup, groundwater remediation, land remediation, and brownfield site preparation. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for managing waste management and has set up a program called Superfund to oversee the cleanup of industrial waste.

Environmental cleanup is a broad term used to describe all types of environmental remediation services. Typically, when the EPA detects a site where hazardous waste is not being handled properly, it will require the site owner to remove and dispose of the hazardous material safely. If the threat to human health is great, the EPA can remove the material itself, then charge the owner to reimburse the cost. EPA will also refer cases of willful negligence to the US Department of Justice for prosecution.

Groundwater remediation is one of the environmental remediation services required to prevent further contamination of the world’s groundwater supply. The most common methods used are bioremediation, carbon sequestration and air stripping. Bioremediation involves introducing organisms into affected groundwater so they can eat the contaminants. Carbon adsorption works by filtering groundwater through activated carbon which traps contaminants. Air stripping works by pumping groundwater through an aeration tank, then sending the clean water back to the site.

Soil remediation is another of the environmental remediation services needed to resolve soil contaminations from hazardous waste. The most common methods are encapsulation, thermal incineration and bioremediation. Encapsulation involves mixing the soil with other materials such as asphalt or concrete. This causes the soil contaminated with the other materials to harden and prevents it from seeping into the surrounding soil.

Thermal incineration heats contaminated soil to very high levels, causing the contaminants to vaporize. This is most often used if the contaminants are hydrocarbons. Soil bioremediation works in the same way as groundwater bioremediation. The organisms eat the contaminated material, usually a form of petroleum, which effectively “cleans” the affected soil.

Brownfield site preparation is another form of environmental remediation services. Brownfield is a term used to describe land that has been used for industrial or commercial purposes at some point. Depending on the levels and types of contamination, environmental remediation operations must be completed in order to reuse these sites for residential or green areas. This may involve groundwater cleanup, soil cleanup, or both.

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