Sometimes it’s difficult to work out what the difference is between soil remediation and soil stabilisation. The terms are often used fairly loosely and appear together in a lot of environmental reports and planning applications. Both sound like expensive surprises. And the two often come up together as they do in many contaminated industrial sites, which have been redeveloped for new uses.
However, despite the overlap, the two terms do represent quite distinct treatments. And it’s a mistake to confuse them – so here’s a brief guide to help you tell them apart.
Soil remediation
Soil remediation deals with contamination. It involves reducing levels of pollutants such as hydrocarbons (petrol and diesel), heavy metals (lead, mercury, etc.), and solvents (e.g., used in chemical plants and landfills) in the soil to an acceptable level. There are many methods of soil remediation, ranging from treatment in situ (e.g., using microbes to degrade organic pollutants) to excavation and off-site treatment, including landfilling and disposal to hazardous waste sites.
Soil stabilisation
Soil stabilisation deals with soil that is technically unsuitable for its intended use. This could be unstable soil (loamy soils prone to erosion) or too wet. Stabilisation could include methods such as soil compaction, treatment with cement or lime to improve strength, and improve drainage, or allowing water to drain away from the site by raising the site surface. For Soil Remediation, contact soilfix.co.uk/services/soil-remediation
Is remediation or stabilisation right for me?
The critical thing is to realise that in many cases a site may need remediation and stabilisation. For example, consider a former industrial site that has been contaminated with heavy metals and where the ground is unstable. In this case, the site may need remediation to reduce the levels of heavy metals to an acceptable level. Once this has been done, the site may need stabilisation in order to strengthen the ground to make it suitable for building on.