It is a fact of life that oil or gas will leak, spill and generally end up in places we don't want it. Increasingly though, oil and gas companies are taking a responsible attitude towards prevention and clean-up (also called remediation).

Whether it is the decommissioning of a local petrol station that developers want to build houses on or decontamination after a disaster like the Buncefield oil storage terminal fire, someone needs to make sure that it is done properly.

Someone like Daniel Tuley, the director of remediation at Arcadis Geraghty and Miller International. Tuley says: "It (remediation) is an area that is growing; it is a relatively young industry, but as legislation becomes more stringent there are greater demands to address environmental interests. In the past five to ten years I have certainly seen it grow and it is now a very buoyant market."

Cleaning up mess is central to corporate reputation, with consumers, partners, regulators and employees all demanding it of the oil and gas industry. Tuley and his colleagues aim to return the land to a state fit for whatever use is intended for the site in future. They also help companies to prevent contamination in the first place. "It is inevitable that there will be leaks and spills given the sheer scale of (oil and gas) operations, but the companies are increasingly making sure that they act responsibly and operate efficiently to minimise the possibility of having to do remediation. They are dealing with the problems as they go along."

Who will save our planet?

Are scientists, politicians or businesses the key drivers for environmental change? Join our debate

Background

• The message is clear

• Business takes the green route

• How to... be an active eco-worker

• How to be a responsible leader

Background

• Rapid growth in green jobs

• It is cool to be green

• Busy saving the world

• Oxford cultivates green valley effect

Related Internet Links

• How to make the most of working life

• Jobs search

• Snakes & Ladders

Tuley has a degree in civil engineering and a masters in environmental pollution control. His colleagues come from a variety of backgrounds and include geologists, engineers, IT experts and support staff.

Remediation work needs scientific acumen, project management skills and diplomacy.

"We are generally employed by the problem holders (the oil and gas companies) and property developers. Some work also comes from local authories and regulators. It can be challenging work, it is certainly very varied. There can be conflicts of interest between the clients and the stakeholders and we sometimes have to decide between the ideal solution and the most practical."

There are several ways in which oil and gas contamination is dealt with. "There isn't one magic solution that solves everything, quite often a range of techniques are employed," Tuley says. Techniques can include digging up contaminated soil and putting it in landfill sites; planting reed beds to clean surface water; capturing gas vapours; and adding oxygen, air or chemical oxidants to speed up bacterial degradation of oil or gas.

Remediation doesn't always mean removal, sometimes it may be safer to stablise or solidify (a gaseous contaminate) and leave it underground, Tuley explains.

Remediation experts are the Miss Marples of the geology world -they assess the evidence (taking soil and water samples, looking at historical usage and maps to determine contamination levels), predict behaviour (use computer modelling techniques to see how contaminates might move and break down) and deal with it.