Soil washing

Physical and chemical process that seeks to separate most contaminants from the soil particles, commonly metals but also organics, by immersion and vigorous agitation and/or chemical adsorption, then concentrating them in a non-granular fraction that can be dewatered and sent for disposal.

Commonly, 60-90% of the original soils can be cleaned for re-use in this way, with the residue still sent to landfill as waste.