Sustainability considerations have become widely recognised in contaminated land management and are now accepted as an important component of remediation planning and implementation around the world. The Sustainable Remediation Forum for the UK (SuRF-UK) published guidance on sustainability criteria for consideration in drawing up (or framing) assessments, organised across 15 “headline” categories, five for the environment element of sustainability, five for the social, and five for the economic. This paper describes how the SuRF-UK indicator guidance was developed, and the rationale behind its structure and approach. It describes its use in remediation option appraisal in the UK, and reviews the international papers that have applied or reviewed it. It then reviews the lessons learned from its initial use and the opinions and findings of international commentators, and concludes with recommendations on how the indicator categories might be further refined in the future. The key findings of this review are that the SuRF-UK framework and indicator guidance is well adopted into practice in the UK. It is widely recognised as the most appropriate mechanism to support sustainability-based decision making in contaminated land decision making. It has influenced the development of other national and international guidance and standards on sustainable remediation. However, there is room for some fine tuning of approach based on the lessons learned during its application.

This review has considered the feasibility of applying current microbial treatment techniques to the remediation of former gasworks. Success would appear dependent upon the contaminants of interest being biodegradable and an effective means of implementation. Contaminants of concern at gasworks include PAH, phenols and cyanides. Laboratory and field studies suggest that these contaminants are biodegradable although little data exists with respect to mixtures in the form present at gasworks. Further research is recommended in this respect. Subsurface investigations of gasworks have revealed an extremely heterogeneous environment which suggests that current in situ remedial techniques may be unsuitable. Techniques that excavate and homogenise the contamination prior to treatment may improve the chances of successful remediation. Pilot studies appear successful but future research should emphasise a mass balance approach where the significance of non biological degradative mechanisms can be assessed. Contaminated groundwaters appear amenable to treatment in surface reactors. The success of overall remediation will however be dependent on the efficiency of the hydraulic withdrawal system used. The implementation of such a scheme should only be undertaken with a clear understanding of the limitations of this technology.

This paper compiles a detailed set of in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) lessons learned pertaining to design, execution, and safety based on global experiences over the last 20 years. While the benefits of a "correct" application are known (e.g., cost effectiveness, speed, permanence of treatment), history also provides examples of a variety of "incorrect" applications. These provide an opportunity to highlight recurring themes that resulted in failures. ISCO is, and will continue to provide, an important remedial tool for site remediation, particularly as a component of a multifaceted approach for addressing large and complex sites. Future success, however, requires an objective understanding of both the benefits and the limitations of the technology. The ability to learn from the mistakes of the past provides an opportunity to eliminate, or at least minimize, them in the future. Over the last 25 years of ISCO application, process understanding and knowledge have improved and evolved. This paper combines a thorough discussion of lessons learned through decades of ISCO implementation throughout all aspects of ISCO projects with an analysis of changes to the ISCO remediation market. By discussing the interplay of these two themes and providing recommendations from collective lessons learned, we hope to improve the future of safe, cost-effective, and successful applications of ISCO.

Although granular activated carbon (GAd, fluidizedbed

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