Human activities can result in soil, water or air contamination, with effects on the environment and public health. This is why permanent monitoring is necessary to identify, neutralize or eliminate hazardous substances in biological, chemical or radioactive waste. This process is called environmental remediation or decontamination and is based on decontamination studies, performed by a specialized company. The benefits of remediation services include reducing the risk of exposure to substances harmful to humans and ecosystems, minimizing negative environmental impacts and compliance with waste management regulations.
The remediation process is carried out in several stages, follows clear procedures and requires teams of environmental specialists to assess, establish specific remediation measures, implement an action plan, according to a feasibility study and the recommended remediation solution, and validate the effectiveness of the process.
Steps in an environmental remediation process
According to Law 74/2019, the process of investigation and remediation of a potentially contaminated site involves the following steps:
- Preliminary Investigation Report: Initial site assessment to identify sources and extent of contamination;
- Detailed investigation and risk assessment: Analysis, through intrusive investigations, of the health and environmental risk of the identified contamination;
- Feasibility study and remediation project: Alegerea metodelor optime de decontaminare, analizand costurile si eficienta metodelor propuse;
- Remediation supervision: Ensuring that the works foreseen in a decontamination study are carried out in accordance with the legal provisions in force;
- Post-recovery monitoring: Verification of the efficiency of the decontamination methods implemented.
Decontamination methods
Decontamination operations can be done in-situ, by carrying out neutralization operations directly in the affected environment, or ex-situ, by removing, transporting and treating soil that has been contaminated with chemicals, oil, heavy metals or other pollutants.
For in-situ decontamination, several physical, chemical or biological methods can be used, such as:
- Chemical oxidation;
- Bio-ventilation;
- Soil gas extraction;
- Hydraulic washing;
- Heat treatments.
Technological innovations complement traditional decontamination methods with new solutions, such as the use of UV, nanoparticles and other emerging purification technologies.
The cleanup treatment of contaminated soil and groundwater can take from a few months to several years, depending on factors such as the size of the affected site, the type and degree of pollution identified and the remediation solutions provided in the cleanup study.
Land decontamination for real estate investment
One of the activities that largely requires remediation of contaminated land is real estate development. Land that can be used for construction, whether for residential, office or logistical projects, must comply with public health and environmental protection laws.
Investing in a remediation study is essential for real estate developers who want to turn polluted sites into valuable properties. Such a study involves a series of steps designed to ensure the safety, compliance and long-term viability of the development.
AUDITECO specializes in providing customized solutions and supervision services throughout the entire remediation process. Real estate developers can turn to AUDITECO and thus capitalize on the technical expertise of the first company in Romania that is certified for the elaboration of environmental studies for contaminated sites.
With more than 28 years of experience, AUDITECO has pursued, in over 100 projects for private companies, the determination of the quality conditions of the geological environment through an efficient and focused approach, based on the collection of relevant data (soil, groundwater and surface water sampling, chemical laboratory analysis, in-situ tests on the chemical characteristics of soil and groundwater) associated with the nature of the sites investigated.
English (United States) 
Romanian 