Soil Decontamination Challenge – GARBILAND Project

There are multiple techniques on the market for the recovery of contaminated soil. However, the option currently used in the majority of cases, not only in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (ACBC), but also in many other regions and countries, is excavation and landfill disposal. This is quicker and cheaper than other options, although it is environmentally unsustainable and inefficient, and does not solve the real contamination problem. The new European and Basque guidelines take this into account and, in fact, discourage the dig-and-dump strategy and promote circular economy.

In a scenario in which the scarcity of resources is increasingly pressing, as is the availability of landfill space, there is a need to develop, transfer and apply new alternatives for the management of contaminated soil.

We are looking for a technology, or combination of treatment technologies, aimed at the recovery of contaminated soil which will allow us to deal with decontamination in the most effective way. This must include solutions for different soil contamination cases (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorinated volatile organic compounds and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes)) common in the ACBC.

We are specifically looking for technologies already validated at laboratory and even pilot level, and that require continued experimental development on site in order to check their applicability to ACBC’s different soils (best treatment for each contamination case) for their final validation, in view of commercial development.

The aim is to start with a TRL 6 (System/subsystem model or prototype demonstration in a relevant environment) and after application on different sites, reach a TRL 8 (Actual system completed and qualified through test and demonstration).

From the point of view of environmental sustainability, treatment technology with the following characteristics is required:

• Maximises the volume of materials that can be reused, minimises waste generation and at the same time reduces the possibility of liquid spills and atmospheric emissions. Recovery of the affected soils should prevent them from being classed as waste and turned into landfills.
• Minimises energy consumption compared to other treatment technologies, both those based on physicochemical treatments and, especially, those that apply thermal treatments.
• Minimises the emission of greenhouse gases at all steps of the application of the technology, especially in relation to the transportation of excavated soil to landfills.
• Consequently, by decontaminating soil and not excavating it for landfill, the consumption of clean virgin soils for backfilling the excavated area is reduced. Soil is an important and scarce asset that must be protected.

Language: Spanish, Basque and English.
Deadline for the submission of proposals to the PMC: 60 days from publication of the PMC.
TRL at start and expected at completion: Companies will be able to submit innovative proposals starting from TRL 6, and expecting to go up to TRL 8.

For any technical queries about the GARBILAND  challenge, send an e-mail to garbiland@ihobe.eus

Preliminary market consultation questionnaire