The world around is fast-changing mainly because of human activities. Some of these changes have been positive, while some have been negative. Some of the negative aspects of human activities can be traced to environmental degradation, especially soil contamination. The soil in any environment is deemed contaminated when hazardous substances are deposited, stored, or inappropriately disposed of on the soil surface. So, when this happens, the soil becomes contaminated, and if not properly checked, it can cause more harmful damages to the environment. Contaminated soil is frequently dealt with by environmental engineering companies.

In most cases, areas with a high level of contaminated soil are primarily found in urban regions, former and existing manufacturing, and industrial areas. This is because such places are often exposed to the dumping of more refuse and useless items than rural regions.

Some other factors contributing to the high density of contaminated soil in these areas can be dumping, overuse of fertilizers and pesticides, and waste disposal. Also, other factors include leaking sewage, buried tanks, the inflow of contaminated water from one place to another through rain or dust, etc. If you are interested in knowing about treatment methods for contaminated soil, this article is for you. Here, we will highlight some of the best ways to clean up and treat contaminated soil. Read on to discover more.

Is contaminated soil harmful?

Yes, it is. Contaminated soil affects both humans and animals. Humans and animals can be exposed to contaminated soil through breathing contaminated dust or eating food planted on contaminated soil. To worsen the situation, contaminated soil can lead to serious health problems, affect construction projects, and distort the state's urban and regional planning.

Different methods of treating contaminated soil

1) Soil stabilization

Soil stabilization effectively treats soil contamination by caging the containment within the soil body. This treatment method ensures the containment is not spreading to other parts or areas. There are two methods of soil stabilization. The first method is to reduce the potent containment rate within the soil. The second method is solidification. This method ensures the containment is ideally restricted to the source area.

2) Chemical oxidation

This containment method is solely reliant on the use of chemical oxidation. With this method, the chemical oxidants will be directly injected into the soil and groundwater to eradicate the containment. Also, chemical oxidation has the edge over another containment method because it has a wide range of appliances. It can be used in areas where containment is difficult to access.

3) Bioremediation

This is a biological process of treating any form of soil containment. Bioremediation is used to transform, degrade and perfectly clean soil containment from groundwater or soil. For this soil treatment to be effective, it must rely on microbial species to feast on the containment within the area contaminated by harmful chemical discharge. While this soil remediation makes sense from an economic perspective, on the other hand, the limitation is that it takes more time to complete the cleanup exercise.

In addition, bioremediation is an effective means of treating:

• Radionuclides

• Hydrocarbons

• Nitrogen compounds

• Metals

Final thought

Soil containment is harmful to humans and living and non-living things. This is why keeping a clean and safe environment is a civic responsibility. Soil containment is preventable only if everyone understands its impact on the larger society. If you ever find yourself in an environment where the soil has been destroyed due to containment, you should draw the attention of relevant authorities to begin the process of soil remediation before it is too late. Contaminated soil is a common issue that wellpoint dewatering service providers encounter.