[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 11-Dec-2003
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Contact: Nicola Vatthauer
nicola.vatthauer@es.eureka.be
32-2-777-0963
EUREKA

Cleaning and revitalising polluted land

Contaminated and polluted land is one of Europe's major environmental problems. EUREKA project EUROENVIRON REVITAL is tackling this specific area of concern and has developed a technique to recycle biological, agricultural and food industry wastes to produce composts which can be used to help decontaminate and revitalise polluted land.

Certain crops, such as safflower, black medic and malva, work with microbes within the compost to break down unwanted hydrocarbons and revitalise the soil. The micro organisms utilise the pollutants as a source of energy and nutrients.

The technology has been successfully tested on reclaimed soil from an abandoned coalmine in Northern Moravia and now the project partners are looking to market it to farmers, petroleum processors and owners of mining or industrial installations.

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