Soils And Sediments

Clays and soils are of great importance in various scientific fields, such as agriculture and environmental science, and in mineral deposits. Students and close collaborators of Georges Millot, the eminent French clay sedimentologist, have put together a book with topics ranging from weathering processes and diagenetic evalution of sediments to sedimentary mineral deposits. The book is of interest to practitioners, advanced students as well as teachers in the above fields.

Many wetlands around the world act as sinks for pollutants, in particular for trace elements. In comparison to terrestrial environments, wetlands are still far less studied. A collaborative effort among world experts, this book brings the current knowledge concerning trace elements in temporary waterlogged soils and sediments together. It discusses factors controlling the dynamics and release kinetics of trace elements and their underlying biogeochemical processes. It also discusses current technologies for remediating sites contaminated with trace metals, and the role of bioavailability in risk assessment and regulatory decision making. This book is intended for professionals around the world in disciplines related to contaminant bioavailability in aquatic organisms, contaminant fate and transport, remediation technologies, and risk assessment of aquatic and wetland ecosystems.

In the USA, Western and Central Europe, there are many large-scale polluted sites that are too large to be cleaned up economically with available technologies. The pollution is caused by heavy industries to soils and sediments in waterways and reservoirs. Since these areas are expected to remain polluted for many years, it is necessary to take a long-term view to insure that the capacity to retain the contaminants is not diminished and to understand the potential for large-scale contaminant mobilization at these sites triggered by changing environmental conditions. This book provides information for predicting long-term changes and making risk assessments and describes the approach of geochemical engineering to handling large-scale polluted sites.

Soil and Sediment Remediation discusses in detail a whole set of remediative technologies currently available to minimise their impact. Technologies for the treatment of soils and sediments in-situ (landfarming, bioscreens, bioventing, nutrient injection, phytoremediation) and ex-situ (landfarming, bio-heap treatment, soil suspension reactor) will be discussed. The microbiological, process technological and socio-economical aspects of these technologies will be addressed. Special attention will be given to novel biotechnological processes that utilise sulfur cycle conversions, e.g. sulfur and heavy metal removal from soils. Also the potential of phytoremediation will be highlighted. In addition, treatment schemes for the clean-up of polluted megasites, e.g. harbours and Manufactured Gaswork Plants (MGP), will be elaborated. The aim of Soil and Sediment Remediation is to introduce the reader in: the biogeochemical characteristics of soil and sediments- new techniques to study soil/sediment processes (molecular probes, microelectrodes, NMR) clean up technologies for soils polluted with organic (PAH, NAPL, solvents) or inorganic (heavy metals) pollutants- preventative and remediative strategies and technologies available in environmental engineering novel process applications and bioreactor designs for bioremediation the impact of soil pollution on society and its economic importance.

Bioavailability refers to the extent to which humans and ecological receptors are exposed to contaminants in soil or sediment. The concept of bioavailability has recently piqued the interest of the hazardous waste industry as an important consideration in deciding how much waste to clean up. The rationale is that if contaminants in soil and sediment are not bioavailable, then more contaminant mass can be left in place without creating additional risk. A new NRC report notes that the potential for the consideration of bioavailability to influence decision-making is greatest where certain chemical, environmental, and regulatory factors align. The current use of bioavailability in risk assessment and hazardous waste cleanup regulations is demystified, and acceptable tools and models for bioavailability assessment are discussed and ranked according to seven criteria. Finally, the intimate link between bioavailability and bioremediation is explored. The report concludes with suggestions for moving bioavailability forward in the regulatory arena for both soil and sediment cleanup.

Over the past 20 years, synchrotron-based research applications have provided important insight into the geochemical cycling of ions and the chemical and crystallographic properties of minerals in soils and sediments. Of particular significance is the understanding of local coordination environments with the use of X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The high flux and brightness of the X-ray beams have allowed researchers to work at environmentally relevant concentrations. The use of focusing mirrors and apertures which allow for mapping and trace particle surfaces, microbes, roots, channels and elements at the micron and at a nano-meter scale in 2 and 3D have also been a great enhancement to science. This book provides the most up-to-date information on synchrotron-based research applications in the field of soil, sediment and earth sciences. Invited authors provide chapters on a wide range of research topics including multiphase flow and transport processes (physical aspects), rhizosphere and microbial life (biological aspects), and dynamics of C, N, S, P and heavy metals and metalloids (chemical aspects). In addition, perspectives on the impact of synchrotron based applications, particularly X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and the role of synchrotron applications in remediation, regulatory, and decision making processes are considered. Up-to-date, with the latest research results and techniques in synchrotron-based techniques Information on specific techniques, elements and minerals, regulatory and remediation decision making, contaminants and the impact of X-ray absorption spectroscopy on soil science Internationally recognized leaders in their fields of expertise from Europe, North America, Asia and Australia

Volume 9 of the series presents 38 technical papers covering a wide range of environmental issues, including Bioremediation, Chemical Oxidation, Heavy Metals, MTBE, Phytoremediation, Radiation, Regulatory and Legal issues, Remediation, Risk Based Cleanup and Site Assessment. Contributing authors are drawn from across the spectrum of interest: government agencies, academic institutions, the consulting community and industrial companies.

Increasing awareness of the irreversible and long-lasting impacts of deterioration and pollution of soils and sediments has had an important influence on environmental policies and research in the last decade. The complexity of the soil and sediment systems and its processes cannot be tackled properly unless scientists from different disciplines work together. With this in mind, a number of multidisciplinary soil research programmes have been started in various European countries. They involve different disciplinary approaches and they aim at different fields of application: agriculture, land use and town and country planning, drinking water supply, nature management. The results that are now appearing need to be integrated in a scientifically sound and useful way. The first European Conference on Integrated Research for Soil and Sediment Protection and Remediation was intended to foster this. The volume contains the edited and selected proceedings of this Conference.