Project title: Sustainable management and gentle remediation of trace element contaminated land
Acronym: GREENLAND
Type of funding scheme: Collaborative Project: Small or medium-scale focused research project
Work programme topics addressed: KBBE.2010.3.5-01: Biotechnology for the environment – Soil and water treatment and bioremediation
Gentle remediation options (g.r.o.) include various (mostly plant-based) approaches to remediate trace element contaminated soils at low cost and without significant negative effects for the environment. Although g.r.o. comprise very innovative and efficient technologies, they are still not widely used as practical site solution. A previous Snowman-ERA-NET funded project (SUMATECS) has provided a detailed overview on the state of the art of g.r.o, including their potential environmental and socio-economic effects as well as their integration into decision tool systems. SUMATECS has further identified main reasons of hindrance for applying g.r.o. as practical solution and derived the respective research needs in order to make g.r.o. more attractive for decision makers and stakeholders to use these methods as practical site solution.
Greenland is bringing gentle remediation options (phytoremediation, in situ stabilisation) into practical application and to solve the final problems comprising still major reasons of hindrance. The major objectives are:
• test the remediation efficiency and success in pilot field case studies
• develop a toolkit to quantify the remediation progress and targets (no total, but „bioavailable” trace element fractions)
• test different technologies of biomass valorisation (incineration, gasification, biodiesel production, etc.)
• develop a decision support tool
• publish a best practice guide
Greenland has defined two groups of end users:
1) companies that will offer gentle remediation options commercially (including the treatment of metal-rich biomass) – these group is part of the project consortium
2) stakeholders (including environmental agencies) that will decide for gentle remediation options – they constitute part the advisory board of the project.
Contact: Dr Grzegorz Siebielec, gs@iung.pulawy.pl