LTR - Ep 71 - What's The Difference Between In-Situ and Ex-Situ Remediation?

And with that, let's get started with our 71st episode.

Our 71st episode is going to kind of build on some of the past episodes, just mainly in the fact that it's something that we have had to discuss as we were discussing other topics.

So our 71st episode discussion topic is in situ versus ex situ.

Like I said, we've mentioned these terms in numerous past episodes as discussing different environmental techniques and methods and stuff like that.

So I was like, you know we've mentioned the the terms and and when we mention the terms we you know briefly discuss what they mean but why not have a specific uh uh topic uh specifically on uh what in situ and exit you actually mean and that's because they're they're different types of words like um In situ is a Latin term, and Latin means in place.

And ex situ means out of place.

So in the terms of remediation, in situ and ex situ environmental remediation differ primarily based on whether the contamination whether it's in the soil or in the groundwater if it's going to be treated or remediated in place which would be in situ or it's going to be treated or remediated in another place, meaning ex situ.

In other words, it's going to be removed.

The contaminated soil is going to be excavated and be removed, and or the groundwater being pumped out with the contamination in it, and it's going to be taken somewhere else.

So the core differences, again, are the location of the remediation or the treatment, where it's going to take place, where in situ means the contamination, whether it's in the soil or in the water, is going to be treated or remediated by some means where it is so it's not going to be excavated like in the case of exit you is going to let's say you're talking about contaminated soil you're going to dig that contaminated soil or excavate that contaminated soil Or if the contamination is in the groundwater, for example, below surface, if that groundwater is going to be pumped to the surface and it's going to be removed to be treated off site in some kind of above ground treatment.

Or even pumping the groundwater to the surface and doing kind of a combo and treating it right there at the surface, you've still removed that groundwater from its location below surface.

And so when you remove that water, that is no longer in situ, it's actually ex situ.

Now, you can then treat it right there as opposed to trucking it off.

And if you do that, then you're doing a combination of ex situ and in situ because you've removed the water, which is ex situ, and brought it to the surface.

But rather than trucking it off, now you're applying some in situ treatment and treating it right there and then maybe re-inject it back in the ground.

So in that case, you're doing a combination.

But if it...

The ex situ means you're going to excavate the soil and remove it and take it somewhere else, or you're going to pump that contaminated groundwater up to surface and then truck it off to somewhere else.

That would be completely ex situ versus in situ.

In situ treatment is...

Treating that contaminated soil in place and or injecting something down into the contaminated groundwater as opposed to pumping it to surface and injecting it and treating it in place.

In doing in situ versus ex situ, you are not disrupting the location or the soil or the groundwater.

You're not disrupting it by removing it and moving it somewhere else.

So in situ is actually a less invasive process, less destructive because you're not destroying the natural habitat that this stuff is sitting in.

And it allows the like, let's say, for example, you you had an operational problem.

And with that, let's get started with our 71st episode.

Our 71st episode is going to kind of build on some of the past episodes, just mainly in the fact that it's something that we have had to discuss as we were discussing other topics.

So our 71st episode discussion topic is in situ versus ex situ.

Like I said, we've mentioned these terms in numerous past episodes as discussing different environmental techniques and methods and stuff like that.

So I was like, you know we've mentioned the the terms and and when we mention the terms we you know briefly discuss what they mean but why not have a specific uh uh topic uh specifically on uh what in situ and exit you actually mean and that's because they're they're different types of words like um In situ is a Latin term, and Latin means in place.

And ex situ means out of place.

So in the terms of remediation, in situ and ex situ environmental remediation differ primarily based on whether the contamination whether it's in the soil or in the groundwater if it's going to be treated or remediated in place which would be in situ or it's going to be treated or remediated in another place, meaning ex situ.

In other words, it's going to be removed.

The contaminated soil is going to be excavated and be removed, and or the groundwater being pumped out with the contamination in it, and it's going to be taken somewhere else.

So the core differences, again, are the location of the remediation or the treatment, where it's going to take place, where in situ means the contamination, whether it's in the soil or in the water, is going to be treated or remediated by some means where it is so it's not going to be excavated like in the case of exit you is going to let's say you're talking about contaminated soil you're going to dig that contaminated soil or excavate that contaminated soil Or if the contamination is in the groundwater, for example, below surface, if that groundwater is going to be pumped to the surface and it's going to be removed to be treated off site in some kind of above ground treatment.

Or even pumping the groundwater to the surface and doing kind of a combo and treating it right there at the surface, you've still removed that groundwater from its location below surface.

And so when you remove that water, that is no longer in situ, it's actually ex situ.

Now, you can then treat it right there as opposed to trucking it off.

And if you do that, then you're doing a combination of ex situ and in situ because you've removed the water, which is ex situ, and brought it to the surface.

But rather than trucking it off, now you're applying some in situ treatment and treating it right there and then maybe re-inject it back in the ground.

So in that case, you're doing a combination.

But if it...

The ex situ means you're going to excavate the soil and remove it and take it somewhere else, or you're going to pump that contaminated groundwater up to surface and then truck it off to somewhere else.

That would be completely ex situ versus in situ.

In situ treatment is...

Treating that contaminated soil in place and or injecting something down into the contaminated groundwater as opposed to pumping it to surface and injecting it and treating it in place.

In doing in situ versus ex situ, you are not disrupting the location or the soil or the groundwater.

You're not disrupting it by removing it and moving it somewhere else.

So in situ is actually a less invasive process, less destructive because you're not destroying the natural habitat that this stuff is sitting in.

And it allows the like, let's say, for example, you you had an operational problem.