Contaminated site remediation

Strategies for decontaminating soil, buildings and landfills

Decontamination of toxic waste

Contaminated sites are turned into valuable assets

Novartis, Roche, Syngenta, Clariant, Lonza: The Swiss chemicals industry is one of the

strongest competitors in the global marketplace. The production of well-known medicines,

additives and other synthetic materials has, in the past, generated waste which was not

disposed of appropriately. Since the 1990s, the chemicals industry and public sector bod-

ies have been examining this residual contamination in great detail, analyzing the content

of the old deposits of toxic waste, monitoring the quality of ground water and putting in

place remediation strategies tailored to each particular site and its issues. A further fac-

tor is that, since 2000, waste from residential areas can no longer be placed in landfills but

has to be incinerated and used to generate energy. The experience gained in this field over

a number of years has led to the creation of a remarkable cluster of specialist companies

which provide professional solutions for managing the disposal of contaminated material.

The need to monitor and clean up landfills containing both residential and industrial and

commercial waste is another challenge to be mastered.

The relatively small land-area available for use in Switzerland is another reason for tackling

chemical pollution with such determination. As a result of strong population growth and in-

creasing demands in terms of living space and residential accommodation, Switzerland has

seen a significant amount of construction activity in recent years. There has also been

a trend to utilizing former industrial sites for new residential and commercial purposes.

However, for that to happen, the brownfield sites have to be examined and decontaminated

– a challenge which a number of experienced Swiss companies are now able to take on.

Swiss companies can offer the following technologies:

• Riskassessments

• Generationofsitemaps

• Ecologicalbuildingconsultancyservices

• Recyclingofconstructionmaterial

• Decontaminationofrailwaytrack

ballast, construction bulk material and

excavation spoil

• Soilwashingequipment

• Decontaminationofmaterialpolluted

with chlorinated hydrocarbons

• Decontaminationofbuildings

• Hazardouswasteincineration

• Radonmeasurement

Switzerland is systematically redeveloping its industrial sites, which are often in central locations,

for new and high-value uses. A key part of the process is examining the sites for contamination and,

where necessary, carrying out remediation work.

Cover: Advanced safety technologies are

deployed during remediation of the toxic

waste site at Kölliken/AG.

This page, top left: Decontamination of

the waste disposal site at Bonfol/JU requires

one of the largest self-supporting structures

in Switzerland.

Top right: The toxic material excavated

from the waste disposal site at Bonfol/JU

is processed and rendered harmless in

high-temperature furnaces.

Asbestos removal from buildings

The fibrous structure of asbestos makes it an ideal material: pliant, water and fire resistant,

chemically inert and relatively cheap. Those benefits led to huge volumes of asbestos being

used in buildings for decades all over the world. Now it has been established that the milli-

meter long fibers split into minute particles too small to see. If inhaled, they can cause lung,

chest and peritoneal cancer. Overexposure to asbestos in the workplace risks asbestosis.

Switzerlandwasquicktoreacttothedangers:theproduction,saleandimportofproducts

containing asbestos has been banned since 1990. Based in Basel, Switzerland, Carbotech

is highly experienced in asbestos decontamination. The process begins with an assessment

of the building followed by the development of a decontamination schedule which details the

steps to be taken from the remediation concept stage to tendering and contract award. De-

contamination work is then carried out by local contractors, under the direction of Carbotech

experts. This role extends beyond mere supervision of the works and includes final inspec-

tions and sign-off. Over the past 25 years, Carbotech has carried out several thousand build-

ing inspections and risk assessments, including on power stations in China, Chile and Brazil.

The use of asbestos is still permitted in many countries and in others the ban on its use has

only recently been introduced. As a result, demand for Swiss expertise in the correct handling

of asbestos contamination remains strong. Carbotech has been providing expert advice on

the appropriate handling of buildings and building components contaminated with asbestos

for a number of years to businesses both at home and abroad. The company also provides

training in the correct handling of asbestos for companies with high levels of manual labor and

with particular attention devoted to the protection of employees.

Cleaned up gravel from contaminated sites

Recent decades have seen a building boom in Switzerland. The process of creating new

buildingsmeansoldonesaredemolished,resultinginhugequantitiesofbuildingrubbleand

a shortage of suitable disposal sites. At the same time, there has been an increase in opposi-

tion to opening new gravel pits. These factors led Swiss businesses to develop a process for

creatinghigh-qualityconcreteusingrubbleandtheyhavebeendoingitforanumberofyears

now. With this experience and constant development, the technologies for separating rubble

andremovingcontaminantshavebecomemoreadvanced.EberhardBauAG,basedclose

toZurichairportinKloten,Switzerland,hasdevelopedequipmentwhichensuresthatover

90% of demolition material can be re-used in new buildings. What started out as a pioneering

project in 1993 has now become established practice across Switzerland. An interesting

example which illustrates the approach is the current redevelopment of the St. Johann harbor

at Basel on the River Rhine, where the new campus for Novartis is being built.

Joined up thinking on CHC decontamination

In Switzerland, more and more sites con-

taminated with CHCs are being discovered.

Chlorinated Hydrocarbons were used ex-

tensively in the last century as solvents for

degreasing metal components, for cleaning

textiles, in processing animal carcasses and

in the paper industry. The widespread use

has left a legacy of contamination which

threatens groundwater supplies. In 2007,

theFederalOfficefortheEnvironmentre-

sponded by setting up Project Chloronet

to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and

create a hub of expertise on the subject.

Exchangesandinformationsharedvia

Chloronet find their way directly into the

practice of research institutes and busi-

nesses. One company which has been

involved in CHC decontamination since

theearly1990sisGeotest,basedinZol-

likofen, Switzerland. The company provides

a full range of support, from testing soil

and ground water to historic investigations,

analysis, and the development and man-

agementoftheremediationplan.Geotest

has been involved in over 500 deconta-

minationprojects,withaquarterofthese

including CHCs. Although the compounds

are difficult to tackle, intervention is crucial

sincethepresenceofevensmallquantities

in groundwater can lead to toxic effects.

This page, top left: Eberhard Bau AG is re-

developing the St.Johann harbor in Basel which

will become home to the Novartis Campus.

Top right: The decontamination process at the

toxic waste site in Kölliken/AG involves analyzing

the different hazardous substances removed and

ensuring that each is disposed of appropriately.

Cleantech Switzerland – Networking, matchmaking and marketing for success.

Cleantech Switzerland

Herrenacker 15

8200 Schaffhausen

Switzerland

Phone + 41 52 560 06 22

Fax + 41 52 674 06 09

info@cleantech-switzerland.com

www.cleantech-switzerland.com

High-tech solution for toxic legacy

What happens to toxic waste which has

been stored underground for decades?

How can you safely recover and dispose

of poisonous material? Switzerland can

provide an answer as it is currently using

leading-edge technology to clean up

a hazardous waste landfill in Kölliken where

475,000 tons (300,000 cubic meters) of

toxic material were deposited by the Swiss

cantons of Aargau and Zurich, as well as

the chemical industry in nearby Basel,

between 1978 and 1995.

Work to secure and analyze the waste has

been on-going since 1996. Three air-tight

halls were constructed over the site and

any potentially contaminated fumes are

passed through activated charcoal filters

to avoid any danger for the tightly popu-

lated surrounding area. Drainage systems

have been installed to prevent seepage into

ground water. Contaminated water is pro-

cessed via a specially-designed plant. Op-

erations to systematically excavate, analyze

and dispose of the material, which is loose,

in barrels or in bags, started in 2007, and

to date 158,000 tons have been removed.

Recovery of the buried material is due to

complete by 2016, with the base of the

landfill then examined for contamination.

Only when it is clear that no hazardous

residues are present, will the site, which is

situated in the middle of a residential area,

be re-developed.

The total costs of the clean-up operation

are likely to be 980m US $. On the upside,

a number of Swiss companies have been

able to demonstrate their capabilities and

develop ground-breaking approaches.

That expertise is in demand around the

world and, in future, thousands of hazardous

waste sites all around the globe will have

to be decontaminated and made available

for new purposes.