Pedosphere 35(6): 1026--1038, 2025
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2025 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| An evaluation approach integrating remedial duration for sustainable mega-site remediation in China |
Xin LIU1, Peng JIN3, Zongshuai YANG1,2, Changlong WEI1, Paul BARDOS4, Da DING5, Zhuanxia ZHANG1,2, Xin SONG1,2 |
1 Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 211135 (China);
2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China);
3 EPCR Innovation and Technology LLC, King of Prussia PA 19406 (USA);
4 R3 Environmental Technology Ltd., Reading RG6 6AT (UK);
5 Nanjing Institute of Environmental Science, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Nanjing 210042 (China) |
| ABSTRACT |
| Due to the fast-paced redevelopment of contaminated sites in developing countries, there is a lack of appropriate quantitative approaches to evaluate sustainability for the selection of remedial alternatives. In this study, an integrated evaluation approach for sustainability assessment was developed and applied to the site remediation of a former large-scale iron and steel manufacturing facility in China. This approach incorporated remedial duration as a distinct tier within a multi-criteria decision analysis framework. The traditional environmental, economic, and social assessments, consisting of 15 categories and 50 indicators for no action alternative, one in situ alternative, and three ex situ alternatives, were performed as the first-tier evaluation, which was then integrated with the second-tier evaluation on the remedial duration. The findings revealed that advanced in situ remediation was associated with a long duration of remedial activities, preventing stakeholders from attaining timely benefits after successful land redevelopment. Furthermore, the evaluation of sustainable remediation was correlated with sustainable development goals (SDG), supporting the conclusion that on-site/off-site treatment alternative performed well in both sustainability and timely redevelopment demands. The scoring of alternatives was further validated through uncertainty analysis, which demonstrated that the on-site/off-site treatment alternative had the highest probability of attaining the best sustainability performance. In addition, sensitivity analysis revealed that remedial duration had the strongest correlation and sensitivity in the integrated evaluation. By integrating SDG targets with the concept of sustainable remediation, this study promotes the greatest net benefit from implementing a sustainable and resilient remediation strategy. Practically, this study proposed an integrated model to promote sustainable remediation outcomes for contaminated sites in fast-developing countries and markets, while considering the constraints of remedial duration and the pursuit of ecological functions. |
| Key Words: contaminants|in situ remediation|multi-criteria decision analysis|site redevelopment|sustainability assessment|sustainable development goals|uncertainty analysis|urbanization |
| Citation: Liu X, Jin P, Yang Z S, Wei C L, Bardos P, Ding D, Zhang Z X, Song X. 2025. An evaluation approach integrating remedial duration for sustainable mega-site remediation in China. Pedosphere. 35(6): 1026-1038. |
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