Bio remediation of hydrocarbon contaminated soils: Experiences from Australia

Bioremediation is an effective way of remediating hydrocarbon contaminated soils and is a widely used technique in Europe, the US and Australia. The landfarming technique involves the application of nitrogen and phosphate to the soil, monitoring the soil pile to ensure optimum moisture and pH conditions are met along with ongoing aeration to ensure an adequate supply of oxygen is available to ensure maximum micro-organism population growth. A landfarming bioremediation facility needs to be adequately managed to ensure the community and surrounding environment are not affect by the remediation process. On site management practises include: dust suppression, moise and odour control, stormwater runoff control, sediment and erosion control, groundwater monitoring and regular sampling to monitor the progress of the remediating soil.