Keeping the soil healthy is essential for a number of reasons. There are matters relating to the wellbeing of crops and wildlife but also an impact on groundwater. If contamination is left unchecked, there is also a risk to human health. This is why scientists have worked on solutions for remediation techniques that include processes like bioremediation and soil washing, for example. One remediation technique is chemical oxidation.
‘Chemox’ is a powerful technique against many different organic contaminants such as petroleum hydrocarbons, benzene and xylenes. Chemox also lends itself to treatment at the site, known as ‘in-situ chemical oxidation’. This makes it ideal for remote or hard to access areas of contamination. To find out more about Land Remediation Services, go to https://soilfix.co.uk/services/soil-and-groundwater-remediation/
Chemicals used in this technique have strong oxidising abilities which helps to make contaminants unstable, unable to travel and far less harmful. The contamination can be isolated from surrounding areas. As the oxidising agent’s atoms increase, the absorption rate increases as the molecules become more negatively charged. This is the process which effectively reduces the contamination.
Chemicals used in this process include ozone, sodium persulphate, hydrogen peroxide and potassium permanganate. They can be used on their own or combined with a catalyst agent to work faster and more effectively. Some catalyst agents make the chemicals more reactive for longer, for example. The chemicals and catalysts chosen will depend on the type of contaminant and location.
