Integrated Framework for Resilience and Sustainability: A Case Study of Environmental Remediation

Abstract Submission: Integrating resilience and sustainability considerations into engineering projects from the outset is vital as the world faces increasing environmental challenges and socio-economic uncertainties. These challenges, exacerbated by climate change, population growth, resource depletion, and urban sprawl, necessitate a change in paradigm from traditional engineering practices toward those that emphasize resilience and sustainability. Unfortunately, the lack of unified frameworks to adequately quantify and assess these factors is hindering our progress in this direction. The Tiered Quantitative Assessment of Life Cycle Sustainability and Resilience (TQUALICSR) framework, developed at the University of Illinois Chicago, addresses this gap by providing a comprehensive approach for integrated quantification of resilience and sustainability. This study introduces TQUALICSR framework through a case study focused on contaminated site remediation. The site, polluted with chemicals such as carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, and methylene chloride, requires remediation of both surface contamination and a deep-zone groundwater plume. Various remediation technologies were evaluated, including in-situ electrokinetic remediation (EK), excavation and off-site disposal, and emulsified zero-valent iron nanoparticles (EZVI) for surface remediation, alongside EZVI and pump-and-treat for deep-zone remediation. Using the TQUALICSR framework, these technologies were assessed for their resilience and sustainability, taking into account their environmental, social, and economic impacts, as well as their ability to withstand changing climate conditions. The results indicated that EZVI was the most resilient and sustainable option for both surface and deep-zone remediation. This case study demonstrates how an integrated quantification approach, such as the TQUALICSR framework, can effectively guide decision-making in engineering projects, balancing resilience and sustainability considerations.

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