PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Hexachlorocyclohexane, commonly known as Lindane, is a pesticide that has been prohibited or restricted in most European countries due to its toxicity. Since 1950, some 280 000 tonnes of Lindane were used in Europe. The region of Aragon in Spain is home to three sites that have been heavily contaminated. One of them, the Bailin ravine, previously served as a landfill for Lindane-containing waste. Its improper management hasresulted in ground leaching and contamination of the local aquifer. Though the landfilled waste itself has been relocated to a secure isolation cell, it has left viscous residues of Lindane that spread over surfaces and seep into fractures within rocks. Efforts to manage these residues have succeeded in removing the bulk of the substance from the contaminated site, but eliminating it completely has so far proven challenging.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE SURFING project aims to fully eradicate pervasive pollutants in sites contaminated by Lindane. Regional authorities in Aragon, Spain, will demonstrate the benefits of combining techniques from surfactant enhanced aquifer remediation and surfactant-enhanced in situ chemical oxidation to extract Lindane residues from even the smallest fractures in rocks and remove it from natural environments completely. Project partners will field-test the combined technique in the Bailin ravine in Aragon. Better tools for decontaminating the aquifer would support the EU Water Framework Directive and Regulation No 850/2004 on persistent organic pollutants. Site measurements will also shed light on the technical, economic and environmental feasibility of the combined approach, and its benefits for public health and the environment. Results will help define a strategy to replicate the decontamination process along the Gallego river and ultimately expand it to contaminated sites affected by other kinds of pesticides and pollutants.
Expected results:
