| Organisatie | Land | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan De Nul | België | https://www.jandenul.com/nl |
| 2 | Soetaert | België | www.soetaert.be |
| 3 | UGent | België | https://www.lca.ugent.be |
| 4 | Antea Group | België | https://anteagroup.be/ |
| 5 | Port of Antwerp Bruges (PoAB) | België | www.portofantwerpbruges.com |
A large part of PFAS-contaminated soils are currently still classified as “non-remediable,” due in part to soil properties, excessive PFAS concentration and/or inability to excavate the soil. Remediation via PFAS immobilization is a universally applicable technique and offers a solution to the limitations of current soil and groundwater remediation techniques. The JDN additive used for this purpose was specifically developed by Envisan for the immobilization of PFAS and therefore exceeds the performance of current immobilization additives on the market (lowest dosage and highest effectiveness).
With this project, we want to demonstrate the applicability of PFAS immobilization at pilot scale for both shallow PFAS contamination (via mixing) and deep PFAS contamination (via injection). The remediation will be carried out by Soetaert on a site made available by Port of Antwerp-Bruges. Monitoring of the remediation will make use of an innovative PFAS screening technique developed by UGent. This technique is able to detect the total PFAS concentration in a few minutes. For a year and a half, the immobilization will be monitored by Antea Group. In addition, Envisan is subjecting the immobilized soil at lab scale to more extreme exposures that cannot be replicated at pilot scale.
This project is leading to a comprehensive analysis of all aspects of PFAS immobilization. Based on the important lessons learned from the implementation and results, once completed, the technique can be used at full scale for various applications. Some examples include treatment of soils that cannot be excavated and post-treatment of extremely contaminated soils where other remediation techniques are not sufficiently efficient. The successful use of immobilization by itself and its combination with other remediation techniques will go a long way toward finding a sustainable, affordable and rapid solution to any PFAS-contaminated soil.
WP1 Project management
WP2 Preparatory works
WP3 Production of JDN additive
WP4 Pilot scale application
WP5 Follow-up and verification
WP6 Consolidation results and dissemination
Industrial site in port of Antwerp – area that has served as a training ground for firefighters.
Intermediate results:
A large share of PFAS‑contaminated soils are currently still classified as “non‑treatable.” Through the PIGGS project, we aim to demonstrate the applicability of PFAS immobilisation using the JDN additive at pilot scale for both shallow PFAS contamination (via soil mixing, in the unsaturated zone) and deep PFAS contamination (via injection, in the saturated zone). The soil‑mixing approach is based on a foundation technique in which a mixing head loosens the soil and simultaneously blends the immobilisation additive into the subsurface. For the injection of the JDN additive, an excavator equipped with a system that rotates injection pipes into the ground was used. A specially developed drill head injects the product directly into the soil during this process.
Two PFAS‑contaminated zones were selected for the immobilisation tests. For the injection test, the initial leaching ranged from 12,000 to 27,000 ng/L. For the soil‑mixing test, the initial PFAS leaching was 8,900 ng/L. PFOS was the dominant compound, representing 91.8% of the eluate. The proportion of short‑chain PFAS (≤6 carbon atoms) in the eluate was limited to only 3.8%.
Envisan (Jan De Nul) was responsible for producing the in‑house‑developed JDN additive, which reduces PFAS leaching by more than 99%. Scaling up production from laboratory scale (1 kg) to pilot scale (3,500 kg) is far from straightforward. Ultimately, a successful process was developed and the required quantity was produced. The production process also provided opportunities to further investigate various parameters, demonstrating that the process is highly robust and suitable for full‑scale deployment.
The immobilisation works were carried out by Soetaert. The soil mixing of the additive proceeded without issues. This technique is applicable to many soil types and resulted in a homogeneous distribution of the additive. Injection, however, was unsuccessful despite repeated adjustments to the setup and execution. The geology of the test site proved to be a limiting factor that could not be overcome.
Monitoring. The first results indicate successful immobilisation, with PFAS leaching reduced by more than 99%. For the present short‑chain PFHxSA, similar performance levels were achieved. The next step is an 18‑month monitoring programme of both soil and groundwater. In addition, part of the immobilised soil will be subjected to extreme weather conditions at laboratory scale to further investigate the long‑term durability of the immobilisation.
Status
Duration
01/12/2024
-
31/03/2027
Location
Website
Coordinator
Jan De Nul - Envisan
Emma Vanderveken
emma.vanderveken@envisan.com
Technology(ies) considered in project
Environmental compartments
Type of activity
Concern Type
