Decontamination of soils, Part 1

Flotation – a reliable technology in solid hazardous waste treatment

Summary: Contaminated soils are primarily generated from demolition and remediation projects, mostly related to former industrial sites, but also from deep excavations, including underground debris removal, in conventional construction activities and ultimately from ­incidents during the transport and handling of fuels, chemicals and crude oil, etc. The main sources for high mercury wastes (Hg >260 mg/kg, as per US EPA definition) are former chlorine alkali plants (CAPs) and acetaldehyde factories. Flotation is able to provide a solution for decontamination of these soils.

Typical sources for soils which are specifically defined as ‘hazardous waste’, mostly containing a broad range of contaminations coming from for example former gas works, coking plants, tar and roofing felt factories, including typically large quantities of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), cyanides and a number of metals such as in particular mercury. Metals in various combinations are also generated from former dye factories, former paint and pigment producing industries (examples are the Chemical Factory Victor Alder, Vienna/Austria and the Paris Green factory in...

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