CDE systems to be deployed in Kuwait

CDE Global will provide two sand washing systems to support what it calls a major land remediation effort in the Persian Gulf nation of Kuwait.

CDE, based in the United Kingdom, says it will work in partnership with Gulf Center United Industrial Equipment Co. and KAK-Lamor JV/C, both based in Kuwait. CDE says it also plans to supply two contaminated soils wash plants to support the clean-up effort of an estimated 114 square kilometers (44 square miles) of polluted land in Kuwait “as part of one of the largest environmental projects of its kind.”

“The scale and ambition of this remediation program cannot be understated," says Ruchin Garg, CDE regional manager for the Middle East and Africa. "It is a true test of our engineering excellence and a demonstration of how robust and effective CDE technology is at processing contaminated soils. This is, however, a field in which CDE has an established track record of success. Every year, our proven solutions process approximately 20 million tons of contaminated material and various streams of construction and demolition waste around the world.”

Following the destruction of some 700 oil wells in the early 1990s during Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, approximately 26 million cubic meters of soil was contaminated with crude oil, signaling the launch of one of the most extensive remediation programs involving the cooperation and expertise of a consortium of international partners.

Working alongside industrial and engineering services firm Gulf Center United Industrial Equipment Co., CDE’s partner in Kuwait, and KAK-Lamor, a joint venture between Kuwaiti EPC contractors Khaled Ali Al-Kharafi & Brothers Co. and Finnish remediation contractor Lamor, CDE wet processing technology will be used for the treatment of up to 800,000 tons of contaminated soil per year.

KAK-Lamor has appointed CDE to design and engineer a turnkey wash plant for each of the North Kuwait Excavation, Transportation and Remediation (NKETR Zone 1) and South Kuwait Excavation, Transportation and Remediation (SKETR Zone 1) projects.

The 100-tons-per-hour and 140-tons-per-hour systems will process and remediate the coarse soil fraction to eliminate contaminants and recover what CDE calls high-quality washed construction sand and aggregates suitable for reuse.

CDE also says its “expertise in the development of sustainable washing solutions will help to reduce the carbon footprint associated with the overall operation through significant efficiency gains.”

“Alongside our international partners, we are responding to what is one of the most significant environmental crises of our time; one that also has major health and social implications," CDE Business Development Manager Andrew Wilson says. "Guided by our purpose to build our best world, a ton at a time, it is our view that CDE wet processing technology will prove an essential component as part of the clean-up operation, offering reliable performance, high precision and superior build quality honed over a celebrated 30-year history.”

The plans were announced to coincide with World Soils Day (Dec. 5), an international day to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources.

It is anticipated the two plants will be commissioned in early 2023.