Proposal for an optimized method for sustainable remediation evaluation and application: implementation of a multi-criteria process.

As sustainable remediation methods do not yet have a consolidated approach, a detailed assessment of the level of satisfaction for sustainability prospects is necessary. So, this study aims to evaluate the sustainability level of sustainable remediation methods according to the visions of decision makers in this field, in order to propose an optimized method that best represents its approach. We considered eight methods applied to sustainable remediation and nine decision criteria for evaluation. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) was applied to judge and weigh the criteria by stakeholders. These weights were used to calculate the degrees of sustainability for all the methods, to classify these within a ranking, and to optimize the one that obtained the best performance. The results indicated that when the criteria were weighted, the criterion (C7), protection of human health and the environment in general, obtained the best placement, and the degree of sustainability achieved by each method indicates that ITRC (Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council) had the best performance. Finally, the proposal method resulted in an explicit approach of all the considered criteria. This article presents a new approach compared with those already applied in this context and provides more robust resources to examine to what extent the methods integrate the premises of sustainable remediation. Graphical Abstract .