• Impacted sediments benefit from funnel & gate design for capping and treatment
LONDON, May 8, 2007 -- The Adventus Group, implementers of field-proven remediation technologies for soil, sediment and groundwater, announced today that its Funnel & Gate Design for the Capping and In Situ Treatment of Impacted Sediments won the coveted 2007 ICU Innovation Award. This accolade is presented annually at International Clean-Up (ICU) in Birmingham, England; the U.K.'s premiere contaminated land solutions conference and exhibition.
Joanna Moreno, Adventus Director of Groundwater Services, was present to receive the award, "On behalf of my colleagues at AquaBlok and Adventus, we are delighted with this recognition of the solid science behind AquaBlok+™. The international market potential is very high, and there is great value in receiving such a commendation from recognized industry experts -- including scientists, consultants and investors."
"We'd like to thank the judges for doing their homework this year; they can feel confident in their selection as Adventus prides itself on offering only scientifically defensible, proven biotechnologies designed to economically address significant environmental challenges," Moreno added.
The Environmental Challenge Outlined
Sub-aqueous sediments may be physically capped to protect the overlying water and biota from continuing contamination. However, permeable caps may not be protective for the required lifetime and are difficult to monitor. Low-permeability caps may alter the natural flow system, potentially divert contaminants in an unpredictable manner, and, in some cases, need to be vented to address gaseous disruption.
The winning new technology, AquaBlok+, combines two well-established and proven technologies: zero-valent iron (ZVI) and low-permeability capping with the AquaBlok delivery vector to address these problems. The intellectual property is a collaboration between researchers at The Adventus Group and AquaBlok Ltd. The technology is analogous to funnel and gate systems that have been implemented at multiple sites for groundwater plume remediation. Various reactive gate materials have been developed and tested in the laboratory. Modeling analyses of funnel and gate designs for a range of typical, full-scale subsurface sediment capping conditions have been conducted. A pilot test in the Anacostia River, Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the U.S. EPA, Battelle, and the University of Texas is taking place during 2007.
Benefits Summarized
Funnel and reactive gate technology provides:
• isolation of contaminated sediment
• contaminant treatment
• better protection than sediment removal or non-reactive cap
This patented technology is applicable to:
• contaminated sediments
• contaminated groundwater discharging into water bodies
• contaminated water bodies recharging groundwater
• wide range of contaminants
Costs are available upon request, but generally on an order of magnitude less expensive than dredging and ex-situ sediment management. Longevity of the capping material is indefinite, whereas for the reactive gate material, greater than 10 years. They can also be reapplied as necessary.
The Adventus Group provides a growing portfolio of leading environmental remediation technologies, including patented offerings from Adventus Americas Inc., and EnviroMetal Technologies Inc. Our business model supports site owners, environmental engineers, and diverse consulting professionals by providing unbiased design, and selection of the most cost-effective remediation strategies.
ICU 2007 is a dynamic & interactive land remediation forum. With unrelenting pressure to redevelop brown-field sites as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible, ICU offers an unrivalled forum for bringing buyers and suppliers together. From innovative land remediation solutions to unlimited information and key policy drivers, ICU provides a targeted forum for discussion and debate for property developers, consultants and suppliers of technology and services.
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