Brownfield refers to land that is abandoned or underutilized due to pollution from industrial use. The specific definition of brownfield land varies and is decided by policy makers and/or land developers within different countries. The main difference in definitions of whether a piece of land is considered a brownfield or not depends on the presence or absence of pollution. Overall, brownfield land is a site previously developed for industrial or commercial purposes and thus requires further development before reuse.
Examples of post industrial brownfield sites include abandoned factories, dry cleaning establishments, gas stations, etc. Typical contaminants include hydrocarbon spillages, solvents and pesticides, as well as heavy metals like lead, asbestos, petroleum, etc.
Many contaminated post-industrial brownfield sites sit unused because the cleaning costs may be more than the land is worth after redevelopment. Previously unknown underground wastes can increase the cost for study and clean-up. Depending on the contaminants and damage present adaptive re-use and disposal of a brownfield can require advanced and specialized appraisal analysis techniques.
The Federal Government of Canada defines brownfields as "abandoned, idle or underutilized commercial or industrial properties [typically located in urban areas] where past actions have caused environmental contamination, but which still have potential for redevelopment or other economic opportunities."
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defined brownfield not simply as a possible improvement site which has been previously improved, but one that may also have impediments, such as "the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant". This comports well with an available general definition of the term, which scopes to "industrial or commercial property".
The term brownfields first came into use on June 28, 1992, at a U.S. congressional field hearing hosted by the Northeast Midwest Congressional Coalition.
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.
This course covers the essential knowledge of contaminant partitioning and techniques to monitor chemical species, physical extent of contamination and biological processes. In the second part, remedi
Ce cours donne aux étudiant-e-s les connaissances de base nécessaires pour comprendre les dimensions juridiques de leur activité professionnelle concernant l'aménagement du territoire et la protection
Détermination des roches principales, physique des écoulements souterrains en rapport avec les ouvrages, relations entre milieu géologique et construit.Determination of the main rocks, physics of un
Environmental remediation deals with the removal of pollution or contaminants from environmental media such as soil, groundwater, sediment, or surface water. Remedial action is generally subject to an array of regulatory requirements, and may also be based on assessments of human health and ecological risks where no legislative standards exist, or where standards are advisory. In the United States, the most comprehensive set of Preliminary Remediation Goals (PRGs) is from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Screening Levels (RSLs).
Urban decay (also known as urban rot, urban death or urban blight) is the sociological process by which a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude. There is no single process that leads to urban decay. Urban decay can include the following aspects: Industrialization Deindustrialization Gentrification Population decline or overpopulation Counterurbanization Economic Restructuring Multiculturalism Abandoned buildings or infrastructure High local unemployment Increased poverty Fragmented families Low overall living standards or quality of life Political disenfranchisement Crime (e.
Soil contamination, soil pollution, or land pollution as a part of land degradation is caused by 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. The most common chemicals involved are petroleum hydrocarbons, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (such as naphthalene and benzo(a)pyrene), solvents, pesticides, lead, and other heavy metals.
Explores the environmental impact of chromium, focusing on its toxicity, presence in tap water, transformation pathways, and detoxification mechanisms.
Explores the significance of environmental law for engineers and the legal challenges they encounter in their professional activities.
Covers computational modeling, project rules, collaboration, and site remediation projects.
Reductive immobilization of uranium has been explored as a remediation strategy for the U-contaminated subsurface. Via the in situ biostimulation of microbial processes, hexavalent U is reduced to less soluble tetravalent species, which are immobilized wit ...
Within the context of post-industrial European cities, the regeneration of urban brownfields contributes to limit urban sprawl by increasing cities density while revitalizing neighborhoods. Yet because of their complex nature, urban brownfields regeneratio ...
2019
Over the course of history, the relationship between cities and their waters has shown different gradients of interweaving, marked by cycles of bonding and distancing. Following a period of complete neglect of urban watercourses, the versatile, multifacete ...