Removal of Organochlorine Pesticides from Soil and Water

The intensive production of the organochlorine pesticide lindaneLindane (γ-hexachlorocyclohexane)Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) caused vast amounts of HCH isomers’ residues during the past century’s second half. These residues were usually deposited or discharged in uncontrolled landfills close to the factories, generating soilSoil and groundwaterGroundwater contamination hot spots. Large lindane-contaminated sites have been categorized in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Asia. The legacy of lindaneLindane production caused a substantial environmental problem that has not been solved yet. Solid and liquid residues generated as lindaneLindane wastes have caused contamination of topsoil and groundwaterGroundwater, and the remediationRemediation treatments applied should consider the type and location of this contamination. Two of these sites are located at SabiñánigoSabiñánigo (Spain), where two landfills, Sardas and Bailín, were contaminated with HCH-wastes by INQUINOSA, a lindaneLindane factory operating from 1975 to 1988. This chapter reviews some “on-site” and “in situ” chemical technologies recently proposed to remediate this site.