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 Identifying the presence and physical characteristics of steelworks materials found in landfill sites is an important aspect of environmental testing. Corus Research, Development & Technology (RD&T) offers a number of areas of expertise for examining samples, with particular strength in petrographic inspection, image analysis and X-ray diffraction. Modern and future environmental standards require that dust emissions from industrial sites are continually improved and indeed identified and eliminated if possible. Detailed petrographic work can be used as a detective tool in assisting with the identification of the sources of the contaminants; whether it is a steelworks or not. The techniques developed will show where on a site the dust materials originated. Once the specific source of the contaminant is identified the appropriate remedial action can take place to either reduce or eliminate the dust. As "greenfield sites" become scarce, governments are encouraging developers to look to the rejuvenation of "brown-field sites", often used previously for the location of heavy industries. Reclamation of industrial land is increasing, with the old sites requiring stringent surveying for and identification of contaminants. Many of the available ex-industrial sites have included steelworks and related industries. Corus has in-house expertise, with an intimate knowledge of materials typically found on such sites. Optical microscopy, image analysis and XRD are a valuable tool for identification of materials present and are invaluable in establishing what the contaminating materials are, if they require any special treatment, or if they can be recovered and reused elsewhere. | |
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