Qualitative evaluation of methods applied to sustainable remediation

Abstract

This study aimed to define a method applied to remediation of contaminated sites that best represents sustainability. We identified the methods developed and applied in the world scenario and analyzed them as to the satisfaction of nine decision criteria established by the authors to verify the sustainability in the approach of methods. Eight methods of sustainability assessment in remediation of contaminated sites were identified, and a tendency in the graphical representation for decision-making was observed regarding the structures of identified methods. Regarding the criteria, the participation of the different stakeholders in the remediation project obtained the best performance, being approached in all the analyzed methods. In this context, ITRC method obtained the best performance among the analyzed methods. It is concluded that this type of analysis, through the satisfaction of criteria in approach of the methods, provides a more detailed understanding of contributions of different methods to sustainable results.