UPSOIL

SUSTAINABLE SOIL UPGRADING BY DEVELOPING COST EFFECTIVE,

BIOGEOCHEMICAL REMEDIATION APPROACHES

SEVENTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME – THEME 6 “ENVIRONMENT (INCLUDING CLIMATE CHANGE)”

Grant agreement no.: 226956

Period of project development: October 2009 – September 2012

Partners

 

Consortium Partners and the participating countries

Project aims to achieve a breakthrough in in-situ biogeochemical remediation through an innovative perspective that takes into account the integral soil-contaminant system.

To this end UPSOIL will develop robust technologies for fast, cost-efficient, integrated source zone and plume treatment. They are designed to result both in timely reached restored soil functions and associated risk levels and a maximal use of the natural soil rehabilitation potential at a longer term.

UPSOIL thus supports soil function preservation and faster restoration and sustainable redevelopment of European regions and cities that carry the burden of historical soil contamination.

Accompanying goals are to broaden the market of soil remediation for SMEs and to build confidence with regulators in adopting sustainable in-situ remediation as the preferable approach for soil restoration.

UPSOIL will focus on soils with organic contaminants (petroleum hydrocarbons and aliphatic chloro-organics) while addressing effects on metal mobilization, aiding in the remediation of the most pressing soil pollution cases in Europe.

Within the UPSOIL perspective, smart coupling of existing technologies already optimises remediation with respect to cost, time and soil sustainability.

In addition, highly innovative techniques (to be patented) will be developed. These include the automatic targeting of injection of the remedial agent via an in-built NAPL detection-probe, and the use of specifically developed selective remedial agents that react with the contaminant only and not with the soil matrix.

UPSOIL joins strong partners from different EU regions that form a balanced mix of scientific knowledge groups, applied science experience, and practical input through SMEs and contractors that also secure testing of the technologies develop in real field site situations and a further market application of the developed knowledge.

In addition the involvement of various stakeholders (authorities, problem owners, technology providers, financial supporters of redevelopments) guarantees that results are tuned to practical needs as present in the soil restoration market. Committed stakeholders and their network in the European market form an important window to disseminate the project results: bringing “knowledge to use” is an important aspect of the UPSOIL project.

CONCEPTUAL WORK AND OBJECTIVES

The concept of UPSOIL is that for the enhancement of cost-effective sustainable remediation of contaminated soil on a European scale, three optimization dimensions need to be addressed:

1. COST: the cost effectiveness of remediation should be significantly increased as compared to current practices,

2. TIME: the technologies employed should allow fast release of sites for urban/industrial or ecological redevelopment,

3. SUSTAINABILITY: the technologies employed should ensure that there are no pending (post-remediation) liability issues and that soil functions are maintained or restored.

The project’s aim is to make the required breakthrough in in-situ (bio)chemical remediation for organic contaminants, by developing robust technologies for fast, cost-effective, integrated source zone and plume treatment that result in both allowable (risk) levels and maximal use of the natural soil rehabilitation potential at a longer term.

Laboratory and field experimental work is being developed from October 2009 up to September 2012, as the chronogram shows.

SUSTAINABLE SOIL UPGRADING BY DEVELOPING COST EFFECTIVE,

BIOGEOCHEMICAL REMEDIATION APPROACHES

SEVENTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME – THEME 6 “ENVIRONMENT (INCLUDING CLIMATE CHANGE)”

Grant agreement no.: 226956

Period of project development: October 2009 – September 2012

PARTNERS

Consortium Partners and the participating countries

Project aims to achieve a breakthrough in in-situ biogeochemical remediation through an innovative perspective that takes into account the integral soil-contaminant system.

To this end UPSOIL will develop robust technologies for fast, cost-efficient, integrated source zone and plume treatment. They are designed to result both in timely reached restored soil functions and associated risk levels and a maximal use of the natural soil rehabilitation potential at a longer term.

UPSOIL thus supports soil function preservation and faster restoration and sustainable redevelopment of European regions and cities that carry the burden of historical soil contamination.

Accompanying goals are to broaden the market of soil remediation for SMEs and to build confidence with regulators in adopting sustainable in-situ remediation as the preferable approach for soil restoration.

UPSOIL will focus on soils with organic contaminants (petroleum hydrocarbons and aliphatic chloro-organics) while addressing effects on metal mobilization, aiding in the remediation of the most pressing soil pollution cases in Europe.

Within the UPSOIL perspective, smart coupling of existing technologies already optimises remediation with respect to cost, time and soil sustainability.

In addition, highly innovative techniques (to be patented) will be developed. These include the automatic targeting of injection of the remedial agent via an in-built NAPL detection-probe, and the use of specifically developed selective remedial agents that react with the contaminant only and not with the soil matrix.

UPSOIL joins strong partners from different EU regions that form a balanced mix of scientific knowledge groups, applied science experience, and practical input through SMEs and contractors that also secure testing of the technologies develop in real field site situations and a further market application of the developed knowledge.

In addition the involvement of various stakeholders (authorities, problem owners, technology providers, financial supporters of redevelopments) guarantees that results are tuned to practical needs as present in the soil restoration market. Committed stakeholders and their network in the European market form an important window to disseminate the project results: bringing “knowledge to use” is an important aspect of the UPSOIL project.

CONCEPTUAL WORK AND OBJECTIVES

The concept of UPSOIL is that for the enhancement of cost-effective sustainable remediation of contaminated soil on a European scale, three optimization dimensions need to be addressed:

1. COST: the cost effectiveness of remediation should be significantly increased as compared to current practices,

2. TIME: the technologies employed should allow fast release of sites for urban/industrial or ecological redevelopment,

3. SUSTAINABILITY: the technologies employed should ensure that there are no pending (post-remediation) liability issues and that soil functions are maintained or restored.

The project’s aim is to make the required breakthrough in in-situ (bio)chemical remediation for organic contaminants, by developing robust technologies for fast, cost-effective, integrated source zone and plume treatment that result in both allowable (risk) levels and maximal use of the natural soil rehabilitation potential at a longer term.

PROJECT DURATION

Laboratory and field experimental work is being developed from October 2009 up to September 2012, as the chronogram shows.