Book excerpt: As we transition into the 21st century, it is apparent that this is an exciting time for environmental engineers and scientists studying remediation technologies. There has been a rapid development of new ways to clean-up polluted groundwater. Research activities of the past and next 10 years will have a dramatic impact on the quality of the subsurface environment for the next century. In 20, or even 10 years from now, our approach to subsurface remediation will probably be vastly different than it is today. Many of the emerging technologies presented in this book will form the basis of standard remediation practices of the future. Physicochemical Groundwater Remediation presents detailed information on multiple emerging technologies for the remediation of the contaminated subsurface environment. All of these technologies apply our knowledge of physical and chemical processes to clean up ground water and the unsaturated zone, and many (if not all) of these emerging technologies will help define standard practices in the future. These technologies include in situ sorptive and reactive treatment walls, surfactant-enhanced aquifer remediation, optimization analyses for remediation system design, chemical, electrochemical, and biochemical remediation processes, and monitored natural attenuation. You will learn how palladium catalyzes the dehalogenation of chlorinated solvents. You will find out how barometric pumping can naturally remove significant quantities of volatile organic pollutants from shallow ground water and the unsaturated zone. You can learn about mobilizing non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) without risking significant downward migration of the NAPL. You can find out how processes such as electroosmosis and electromigration can be exploited for groundwater remediation purposes and how zero-valent iron and zeolite treatment walls can be used in situ to treat and control contaminant plume migration. Contributors to this book are experts in groundwater remediation processes, and they represent industry, consulting, academia, and government. If your work involves the clean up of contaminated soil and groundwater, this book is an essential reference to keep you up to date on the most promising new developments in remediation research.