Soil remediation technique marketed at IFAT

Starnberg, Germany-based econ industries will be providing information about its VacuDry soil remediation technology at the IFAT trade fair, which takes place in Munich, Germany, May 30-June 3, 2016.

VacuDry vacuum distillation was specifically developed in-house, says econ, “to completely remove hazardous contaminants from soil, including mercury, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) or mineral total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH).”

“In Europe contaminated soil is usually disposed of at permanent landfills for hazardous waste or recycled thermally in rotary kilns with a huge energy expenditure and at high temperatures,” says Reinhard Schmidt, CEO of econ industries. “Besides problems such as land consumption and the possibility of contamination of groundwater and air, this way of proceeding has another serious disadvantage: the contaminated soil needs to be transported – sometimes even all across Europe.

Additionally the elevated air pollution caused by the trucks fuelled with diesel as well as the constant risk of accidents, with the hazardous cargo, are omnipresent,” he adds.

Instead, vacuum distillation plants “effectively cleanse the contaminated soil and also sustainably relieve the roads,” according to econ industries.

The firm says these arguments “convinced the French energy company AREVA as well as the regional representatives of Miramas, a small town in southern France, to opt for the environmental technology made in Germany. A vacuum distillation plant has cleansed roughly 70,000 tons of soil that was primarily contaminated with mercury, PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) and aromatic nitrogen compounds” until the econ system was deployed in late 2015.

“the project in Miramas, France, has shown that a technology which is thorough, economical and environmentally friendly will always have a chance, when decision-makers also consider the interests of residents and environment, besides the sheer costs of disposal,” says Schmidt.

Econ industries will be exhibiting at the IFAT trade fair in Munich in Hall B3, Stand #251, May 30-June 3, 2016.