ENVIRONMENTAL

ENGINEERING
ES 423
Mon. & wed.
(7:00 pm – 8:00 pm)
SOIL POLLUTION

PRESENTED BY:
BSME 4-1
GROUP 2
 Contents
Take Note!
• Definition
• Types of Soil Pollution
• Elements of Soil Pollution
• Causes
• Effects
• Countries Involve to the Soil Pollution
• How to Solve the Soil Pollution
 Definition
• Soil pollution is defined as the presence
of toxic chemicals (pollutants or
contaminants) in soil, in high enough
concentrations to pose a risk to
human health and/or the ecosystem.
• the presence of xenobiotic (human-made)
chemicals or other alteration in the natural
soil environment. It is typically caused by
industrial activity, agricultural chemicals,
or improper disposal of waste.
 TYPES OF SOIL POLLUTION
• industrial waste
• Agricultural Practices
• Radioactive pollutants
• Urban Activities
• Biological Agents
 Industrial waste

• Steel, pesticides, textiles, drugs,

glass, cement, petroleum, etc. are
produced by paper mills, oil
refineries, sugar factories, petroleum
industries and others as such.
 Agricultural Practices
• The soil of the crops is polluted to a
large extent with pesticides,
fertilizers, herbicides, slurry, debris,
and manure.
 Radioactive Pollutants
• Radioactive substances such as
Radium, Thorium, Uranium, Nitrogen,
etc. can infiltrate the soil and create
toxic effects.
 Biological Agents
• Biological agents work inside the soil
to introduce manures and digested
sludge (coming from the human, bird
and animal excreta) into the soil.
 Urban Wastes
• Urban waste consists of garbage and
rubbish materials, dried sludge and
sewage from domestic and
commercial waste.
 Elements of Soil Pollution
• Biological
• Chemical
• Physical
• Biological Elements - represented by
organisms (bacterial, viruses, parasites),
eliminated by human and by animals, most of
them being pathogens. They are part of
various residues ( garbage, animal, industrial );
• Chemical Elements - Chemical
elements, mostly organic. Their
importance is multiple : they serve as
nutritional support for germs, insects and
rodents; they suffer decomposing
processes with toxic gas releases and they
can affect water sources ;
• Physical elements, which create an
imbalance of soil composition: floods, acid
rains, deforestation.
 Causes of Soil Pollution
 Indiscriminate use of fertilizers

 insecticides and herbicides

 Dumping of large quantities of solid

waste

 Deforestation and soil erosion

 INDISCRIMINATE USE OF FERTILIZERS

 Farmers generally use fertilizers to correct soil deficiencies.

 Fertilizers contaminate the soil with impurities, which come from

the raw materials used for their manufacture.

 Mixed fertilizers often contain (NH4NO3), P2O5, and K2O.

 For instance, As, Pb and Cd present in traces in rock phosphate

mineral get transferred to super phosphate fertilizer.

 reduces the protein content of wheat, maize, grams, etc., grown

on that soil.

 The vegetables and fruits grown on over fertilized soil are more
prone to attacks by insects and disease.
INDISCRIMINATE USE OF PESTICIDES, INSECTICIDES AND HERBICIDES

 Plants on which we depend for food are under attack from

insects, fungi, bacteria, viruses, rodents and other
animals, and must compete with weeds for nutrients.

 First widespread insecticide use began at the end of World

War II and included DDT
(dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and gammaxene.

 Decrease the fertility of the soil

 DUMPING OF SOLID WASTES

• In general, solid waste includes

garbage, domestic refuse and
discarded solid materials such as
those from commercial, industrial
and agricultural operations.
 DEFORESTATION
• Soil Erosion occurs when the
weathered soil particles are
dislodged and carried away by wind
or water.
 Effects of Soil Pollution
• Soil pollution can have a number of
harmful effects on ecosystems and
human, plants and animal health.
The harmful effects of soil pollution
may come from direct contact with
polluted soil or from contact with
other resources, such as water or
food which has been grown on or
come in direct contact with the
polluted soil.
1.Humans
• Many common soil pollutants are carcinogenic causing
humans who are exposed to these pollutants to be far
more likely to develop cancer than those who are not. For
example, regular exposure to benzene is known to cause
leukemia in both children and adults and exposure to
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is linked to liver cancer.
Soil pollution can also cause neuromuscular blockage as
well as depression of the central nervous system,
headaches, nausea, fatigue, eye irritation and skin rash.
2. Animals
• Soil pollution can negatively affect the metabolism
of microorganisms and arthropods, which can
destroy some layers of the primary food chain and
have a harmful effect on predator animal species.
Also, small life forms may consume harmful
chemicals in the soil which may then be passed up
the food chain to larger animals, which may lead to
increased mortality rates and even animal
extinction.
3. Environment
• According to Pollution Issues, soil pollution naturally
contributes to air pollution by releasing volatile compounds
into the atmosphere - so the more toxic compounds soil
contains, the greater the air pollution it creates - and can
lead to water pollution if toxic chemicals leach into
groundwater or if contaminated runoff or sewage, which
can contain dangerous heavy metals, reaches streams,
lakes, or oceans. When applied repeatedly or in large
amounts, these heavy metals can accumulate in soils to
the point that it is unable to support plant life.
 Most polluted Countries
• 1. Chernobyl, Ukraine
• 2. Dzerzhinsk, Russia
• 3. Kabwe, Zambia
• 4. La Oroya, Peru
• 5. Mailuu-Suu, Kyrgyzst
 How to Solve Soil Pollution
• 1. Is to make people aware about the concepts of REUSE, RECYCLE and REDUCE
• 2. Reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers in agricultural activities
• 3. Avoid buying packages items as they will lead to garbage and end up in
landfill sites.
• 4. Ensure that you do not litter on the ground and do proper disposal of your
own garbage.
• 5. Buy BIODEGRADABLE products
• 6. Do organic gardening and eat organic food that will be grown without the
use of pesticides
• 7. Create dumping area away from residential areas
• 8. Remember the importance of not disrupting the harmony of the land;
wildlife survive under the land too.
• 9. Reduce Deforestation and Begin Reforestation
 Clean up Options
• Bioremediation - The use of naturally occuring
microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi &
plants to break down or degrade toxic
chemical compounds that have accumulated in
the environment
• It is a method that treats the soils and renders
them non-hazardous, thus eliminating any
future liability that may result from landfill
problems or violations.
 Two types of Bio remediation
• In situ Bioremediation : The treatment in place
without excavation of contaminated soils or
sediments.
• Ex situ bioremediation: requires pumping of
the groundwater or excavation of
contaminated soil prior to remediation
treatments.
 Types of In situ Bioremediation

• Biostimulation: To stimulate the activity of microorganisms by

adding nutrients and electron acceptors (e.g. O2)
• Bioventing: Injecting air through soil to stimulate microbe growth
in unsaturated zone
• Biosparging: Injection of air/nutrients into unsaturated and
saturated zones
• Bioaugmentation: inoculation of soil with microbes or adding
exogenous microbes to the subsurface
 In-situ-Bioremediation
Good for large volumes
Less expensive
Slower
• Creates less dust
Doesn’t work well in clays or • Less possibility of contaminant
highly layered subsurfaces release into environment

• Biostimulation (stimulates
biological activity)
– Bioventing (Inject
air/nutrients into
unsaturated zone –
good for midweight
petroleum, jet fuel)
– Biosparging (Inject
air/nutrients into
unsaturated and
saturated zones)
• Bioaugmentation (inoculates soil
with microbes)
Biostimulation

Biosparging
 Ex-situ -Bioremediation • Easier to
• Slurry-phase-Soil combined with control
water/additives in tank, • Used to treat
microorganisms, nutrients,
oxygen added wider range of
contaminants
and soil types
• Solid-phase • Costly
– Land-farming: soil put on pad, • Faster
leachate collected
– Soil biopiles: soil heaped, air
added
– Composting: biodegradable waste
mixed with bulking agent
– Land Applied –waste added
directly to soil which is later
planted to a crop.
 Advantages of Using Bioremediation Processes
Compared With Other Remediation Technologies

(1) biologically-based remediation detoxifies hazardous substances instead of

merely transferring contaminants from on environmental medium to
another;

(2) bioremediation is generally less disruptive to the environment than

excavation-based processes; and

(3) The cost of treating a hazardous waste site using bioremediation

technologies can be considerably lower than that for conventional
treatment methods: vacuuming, absorbing, burning, dispersing, or moving
the material .
 LAWS GOVERNING SOIL POLLUTION
REPUBLIC ACT 9003 ECOLOGICAL SOLID WASTE
MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2000
• In partnership with stakeholders, the law aims to
adopt a systematic, comprehensive and ecological
solid waste management program that shall ensure
the protection of public health and environment.
The law ensures proper segregation, collection,
storage, treatment and disposal of solid waste
through the formulation and adaptation of best eco-
waste products.
• REPUBLIC ACT 6969 TOXIC SUBSTANCES, HAZARDOUS
AND NUCLEAR WASTE CONTROL ACT OF 1990
The law aims to regulate restrict or prohibit the importation,
manufacture, processing, sale, distribution, use and disposal
of chemical substances and mixtures the present
unreasonable risk to human health. It likewise prohibits the
entry, even in transit, of hazardous and nuclear wastes and
their disposal into the Philippine territorial limits for
whatever purpose; and to provide advancement and
facilitate research and studies on toxic chemicals.
• PRESIDENTIAL DECREE 1586 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
STATEMENT (EIS) STATEMENT OF 1978
The Environment Impact Assessment System was formally
established in 1978 with the enactment of Presidential Decree
no. 1586 to facilitate the attainment and maintenance of rational
and orderly balance between socio-economic development and
environmental protection. EIA is a planning and management
tool that will help government, decision makers, the proponents
and the affected community address the negative consequences
or risks on the environment. The process assures
implementation of environment-friendly projects.
PROHIBITED ACTS | FINES AND PENALTIES
REPUBLIC ACT 9003 ECOLOGICAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2000
Section 48. Prohibited Acts – The following acts are prohibited:
• 1. Littering, throwing, dumping of waste matters in public places, such as
roads, sidewalks, canals, esteros or parks, and establishment, or causing or
permitting the same;
• 2. Undertaking activities or operating, collecting or transporting equipment in
violation of sanitation operation and other requirements or permits set forth in
established pursuant;
• 3.The open burning of solid waste;
• 4. Causing or permitting the collection of non-segregated or unsorted wastes;
• 5. Squatting in open dumps and landfills;
• 6. Open dumping, burying of biodegradable or non-biodegradable materials in
flood prone areas;
• 7. Unauthorized removal of recyclable material intended for collection by
authorized persons;
• 8. The mixing of source-separated recyclable material with other solid waste in any vehicle,
box, container or receptacle used in solid waste collection or disposal;
• 9. Establishment or operation of open dumps as enjoined in this Act, or closure of said
dumps in violation of Sec. 37;
• 10. The manufacture, distribution or use of non-environmentally acceptable packaging
materials;
• 11. Importation of consumer products packaged in non-environmentally acceptable
materials;
• 12. Importation of toxic wastes misrepresented as "recyclable" or "with recyclable
content";
• 13. Transport and dumplog in bulk of collected domestic, industrial, commercial, and
institutional wastes in areas other than centers or facilities prescribe under this Act;
• 14. Site preparation, construction, expansion or operation of waste management facilities
without an Environmental Compliance Certificate required pursuant to Presidential Decree
No. 1586 and this Act and not conforming with the land use plan of the LGU;
• 15. The construction of any establishment within two hundred (200) meters from open
dumps or controlled dumps, or sanitary landfill; and 16. The construction or operation of
landfills or any waste disposal facility on any aquifer, groundwater reservoir, or watershed
area and or any portions thereof.
PROHIBITED ACTS | FINES AND PENALTIES
• REPUBLIC ACT 6969 TOXIC SUBSTANCES, HAZARDOUS AND NUCLEAR WASTE
CONTROL ACT OF 1990 Section 13. Prohibited Acts. – The following acts and
omissions shall be considered unlawful:
• a. Knowingly use in chemical substance or mixture which is imported,
manufactured, processed or distributed in violation of this Act or implementing
rules and regulations or orders;
• b. Failure or refusal to submit reports, notices or on the information, access to
records as required by this Act, or permit inspection of establishment where
chemicals are manufactured, processed, stored or otherwise held;
• c. Failure or refusal to comply with the pre-manufacture and pre-importation
requirements; and
• d. Cause, aid or facilitate, directly or indirectly, in the storage, importation or
bringing into Philippine territory, including its maritime economic zones, even in
transit, either by means of land, air or sea transportation or otherwise keeping in
storage any amount of hazardous and nuclear wastes in any part of the Philippines.