🏭 Phase I · Phase II · Phase III · RBCA · ASTM E1527 · EPA · Due Diligence · Site Closure

Environmental Passives

Assessment, Management and Diagnosis with Scientific Support

Biogroup addresses environmental liabilities from a comprehensive perspective — combining high-precision technical diagnosis, regulatory expertise and results-oriented management strategies. We identify, quantify and manage environmental risks in a technically rigorous and economically efficient manner.

Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments following ASTM E1527 · ASTM E1903 · EPA standards. Site assessments designed to collect the minimum data necessary for a cost-effective solution — always with the ultimate goal of defining the widest range of corrective action alternatives.

Phase I · II · III
Full assessment cycle
ASTM E1527
International standard
Own laboratory
Field–lab–engineering integrated
+35 years
Contaminated site expertise
⚠️ What is an environmental passive?
An environmental passive (environmental liability) is any existing impairment derived from past or present activities — representing a source of latent risk that can affect soils, groundwater, air, ecosystems and, in many cases, compromise operational continuity, asset value or project viability.
• Soil and/or groundwater contamination
• Historical or hazardous waste accumulation
• Abandoned infrastructure with environmental impact potential
• Sites with history of spills or inadequate practices
• Industrial areas undergoing closure, transfer or conversion
✅ Why correct identification matters
An unidentified or underestimated environmental passive is a hidden liability that compounds over time — expanding contamination, increasing remediation costs and accumulating regulatory and legal exposure. Early identification and quantification is always less expensive than delayed discovery.
✓ Reduce legal and financial risks
✓ Avoid future sanctions and contingencies
✓ Optimise remediation costs through early intervention
✓ Increase asset value with documented environmental status
✓ Demonstrate regulatory compliance to authorities and buyers
The four-phase environmental site assessment framework
From desktop review to corrective action — a structured, tiered approach
Biogroup follows a procedure in accordance with ASTM E1527 (Phase I) and ASTM E1903 (Phase II) — designed to collect the minimum data necessary to provide a cost-effective characterisation, always focused on defining the widest range of remedial alternatives.
I
Phase I — Preliminary Environmental Site Assessment
ASTM E1527 · Desktop review · Historical analysis · No intrusive work

A Phase I ESA assesses the historical use of a property with the intent of identifying the presence or likely presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products — the "Recognised Environmental Conditions" (RECs). No soil or groundwater samples are collected. All work is desktop-based.

Historical review
Aerial photographs, Sanborn maps, historical records, prior reports, regulatory databases
Site inspection
Visual survey of current and past uses, structures, equipment, storage areas, drains
Interviews
Current owners/occupiers, key site personnel, local regulatory officials
Regulatory records
Environmental databases — spill records, permit history, underground storage tanks, hazardous waste
II
Phase II — Environmental Site Investigation
ASTM E1903 · Intrusive sampling · Soil & groundwater characterisation

A Phase II ESA involves intrusive soil and groundwater sampling to confirm or refute the RECs identified in Phase I. Biogroup designs sampling programmes to collect the minimum data necessary to characterise the site adequately — avoiding under-sampling that leaves uncertainty and over-sampling that wastes budget.

Sampling design
Statistical or targeted sampling plan based on Phase I findings, conceptual site model and contaminants of concern
Field investigation
Soil borings, phreatimeter installation, groundwater sampling, soil gas surveys — per EPA SW-846 protocols
Laboratory analysis
Biogroup's own laboratory — full contaminant panel per Table 9 Ley 24.051, EPA SW-846, site-specific requirements
Site characterisation
Contaminant identification, concentration mapping, extent of contamination, exceedance of screening levels
III
Phase III — Risk Assessment & Remedial Action Planning
RBCA · ASTM E1739/E2081 · Definitive conceptual model · Exposure pathway analysis

Phase III integrates Phase II characterisation data into a formal risk assessment and remediation decision — determining whether contamination poses an unacceptable risk to human health and the environment and, if so, defining site-specific cleanup goals and the most appropriate corrective action technology.

Conceptual site model
Definitive CSM — sources, pathways, receptors — the foundation for all risk calculations
Exposure pathway analysis
Ingestion, dermal, inhalation from soil and groundwater to all relevant receptor groups
RBCA risk assessment
ASTM E1739/E2081 tiered approach — screening values, site-specific risk-based concentrations, probabilistic assessment
Remedial action plan
Technology selection, comparative evaluation of alternatives, cost-benefit analysis, implementation timeline
IV
Phase IV — Remediation & Site Closure Verification
In situ / ex situ technologies · monitoring · closure certification

Design, implementation and monitoring of the selected corrective action — through to demonstration that cleanup goals have been achieved and formal site closure certification from the environmental authority. Biogroup provides the complete service, including construction management, analytical monitoring, progress reporting and closure dossier preparation.

Technology selection
Landfarming · biopiles · ISCO · SVE · pump-and-treat · MNA — evaluated and selected per Phase III findings
Design & implementation
Engineering design, construction supervision, system installation and commissioning
Remediation monitoring
Periodic soil and groundwater sampling to document progress toward cleanup goals
Site closure
Closure dossier preparation, regulatory submission and formal closure certification
Differential capabilities — the Biogroup advantage
The real integration of field, laboratory and engineering — not three separate vendors
🔬
Own analytical laboratory
Advanced analytical capability in-house — full soil and groundwater contaminant panels, GC-MS, ICP-MS, HPLC-MS/MS. No outsourcing of analytical work means full control of data quality, turnaround time and chain of custody.
🌐
True field-laboratory-engineering integration
The same team that designs the sampling programme collects the samples, analyses them and interprets the results — eliminating the communication gaps that arise when consultants, samplers and laboratories are separate organisations.
🏭
Complex industry experience
Petrochemical, agro-industrial, energy, chemical and manufacturing — Biogroup has experience in the most technically demanding contamination scenarios: NAPL, chlorinated solvents, heavy metal plumes, complex mixed contamination.
⚖️
Regulatory process compatibility
Studies developed to be compatible with LAD (Línea de Acción Directa), EIA, environmental audits and provincial regulatory approval processes — with registrations in the Santa Fe Official Environmental Expert Registry and the Ministry EIA Consultant Registry.
🎯
Technical defence and decision support
Our approach is oriented toward technical defensibility — reports that withstand scrutiny in regulatory proceedings, due diligence reviews and environmental litigation.
💰
Minimum data / maximum value
Site assessments designed to collect only the minimum data necessary for the objective — avoiding expensive over-sampling while ensuring the characterisation is adequate for decision-making.
Typical applications — when environmental passives assessment is required
🏭
Industrial asset transactions
Phase I/II ESA for due diligence in industrial asset purchases, mergers and acquisitions. Environmental liability quantification for price adjustment and indemnification clauses.
🔒
Plant closure and site conversion
Characterisation of contamination accumulated during plant operation. Remediation to achieve closure certification and allow site conversion to new use (industrial, commercial or residential).
📋
Regulatory compliance
Environmental passive identification and management plan for compliance with provincial environmental authority requirements. Regularisation before SAyDS, OPDS and municipal authorities.
🏗️
New development assessment
Phase I/II for greenfield and brownfield developments — confirming the site is clean before construction investment, or quantifying contamination for remediation cost estimation.
🆘
Environmental contingency response
Emergency response to accidental spills and releases — rapid assessment of extent of contamination, immediate containment measures and corrective action plan.
⚖️
Environmental litigation support
Expert witness site characterisation for environmental liability disputes — defensible analytical data, rigorous exposure pathway analysis and damage quantification.
Contaminants of concern — full analytical capability

Depending on the nature of the chemicals of interest, Biogroup uses numerous detection techniques to maximise field sampling efficiency and minimise laboratory costs — focusing analytical effort where it matters most.

TPH fractions
GRO · DRO · MRO · TX-1005/1006 · GC-FID
BTEX & VOCs
Benzene · toluene · ethylbenzene · xylenes · GC-MS purge-and-trap
Chlorinated solvents
TCE · PCE · DCE · vinyl chloride · GC-MS
PAHs
16 EPA priority · HPLC-FLD · GC-MS · benzo(a)pyrene
Heavy metals
ICP-MS · As/Cd/Cr/Pb/Hg/Ni/Zn · EPA 3050B digestion
Cr(VI)
Hexavalent chromium · colorimetric/IC · EPA 3060A
Pesticides
Organochlorine · organophosphate · glyphosate · HPLC-MS/MS
PCBs / Dioxins
GC-ECD · HRGC-HRMS · TEQ reporting
MTBE & oxygenates
Fuel ethers · GC-MS · groundwater mobility
Cyanides
Free + total · colorimetric · IC
Fluorides
Ion chromatography · electrode
Inorganic parameters
pH · conductivity · alkalinity · nitrates · sulphates
Regulatory framework and standards
🇦🇷 Argentine regulations
• Ley 24.051 — Hazardous Waste Law · Decree 831/93 Table 9 (soil guidelines)
• Ley 25.675 — General Environmental Law
• SAyDS Resolution 97/2019 — Contaminated sites registry
• Provincial regulations — Santa Fe · Buenos Aires · Córdoba
• LAD (Línea de Acción Directa) — direct action compliance pathways
• OPDS · SAyDS · municipal environmental authorities
🌐 International standards
• ASTM E1527 — Phase I ESA Standard Practice
• ASTM E1903 — Phase II ESA Standard Guide
• ASTM E1739 — Risk-based corrective action (petroleum)
• ASTM E2081 — Risk-based corrective action (generic)
• EPA SW-846 — Soil and waste analytical methods
• EPA RSLs — Regional Screening Levels
• ISO 10381 — Soil sampling methods
• Dutch intervention values — RIVM reference criteria
Official registrations
Provincial registry
Official Registry of Environmental Consultants, Experts and Expert Witnesses
Province of Santa Fe, Argentina
Ministerial registry
Registry of Environmental Impact Assessment Consultants
Ministry of Environment, Argentina
Related services
Phase I · Phase II · Phase III · RBCA · ASTM E1527 · EPA · Due Diligence
Need to assess or manage an environmental passive?
Contact us to evaluate your case and develop a strategy tailored to your needs. Each site is unique — Biogroup provides custom solutions with strong technical support and a clear orientation toward results.
Consult an expert →
📞 +54 341 425-6431 📞 +54 341 447-4486 ✉ biogroup@biogroup.com.ar 📍 3 de febrero 920 · Rosario, Argentina Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00