Civil Engineer, Delft Technical University

Programme Director Dutch Research Programme on In-situ Bioremediation (NOBIS)

Programme Director Dutch Centre for Soil Quality Management and Knowledge Transfer (SKB)

NOBIS and SKB both are public-private foundations in which the demand and supply side of soil quality management are represented. They represent land-owners, industry, town- and regional planners, project developers, national and local authorities, consultants, contractors, technological institutions and universities.

Aim of the programmes is to develop and transfer knowledge about cost-effective concepts and techniques to realise and maintain a soil quality appropriate to the use and function of the soil. The research projects of SKB relate to technical, financial, legal or managerial bottlenecks. The NOBIS programme concentrates on development of in-situ bioremediation, natural attenuation and biomonitoring.

From 1991 DHV Consulting engineers. Last six years as managing director

Since 1994: Management consultant

Main assignments: 1994: Secretary of the advisory committee for the minister of Public Works for a drilled tunnel and other subsurface constructions for the Cargo railway system from Rotterdam to Germany

1995: Technical and organisational assistance for the Directorate General of Infrastructure of the ministry of Public Works

1994: Foundation of a new salt industry and realisation of a salt-production facility in the Netherlands

1995: Programme director of NOBIS

1999: Programme director of SKB

Presentation

Brownfields and environmetal technologies

Ir H.J. Vermeulen, programme director SKB

Background of Dutch soil remediation policy

25 years ago Dutch remediation policy started with the discovery of large polluted locations as a result of disposal of chemical waste. The remediation policy was based upon a ”cleaning up operation”: contaminated soil had to be converted again into clean soil. Criteria were set up about clean soil and unacceptable contamination. Large research programme’s were carried out to set these criteria technology development was stimulated for soil treatment and remediation.

10 years ago the estimated costs of the cleaning up operation, due to the number of discovered contaminated locations and cost of remediation, rose to 50 billion dollars, about 100 times the annual investments in remediation. A new R&D programme on in-stu bioremediation was carried out and policy changed at the same time: clean soil was no longer the aim of remediation, but a soil quality related to the use and function of the soil. The estimated costs of soil remediation dropped in 10 years time to 10 billion dollars.

Recently an inventory has been made of the possible contaminated locations in the Netherlands: 600.000 contaminated locations of which probably 60.000 have to be remediated. Remediation of 15.000 of them is urgent because of environmental risks relate to the present use and function of the soil. Remediation has to take place within the next 10 -15 years. The other 45.000 locations have to be remediated when changes of the use and function of the soil takes place. That means that in the next 30 years remediation of 45.000 locations have to take place in combination of urban or rural (re)development.

R&D programmes
At start R&D was focussed on human an ecological risks of contamination, fate and behaviour of contaminants in the soil and physical and chemical technologies for remediation. Later on much attention was paid to in-situ biological treatment of contaminants. A special field of research was been the natural processes in the soil for removal of contaminants, the natural attenuation and the stimulation of it. Though cheap, these processes are working very slow: remediation takes a long time.

Recently R&D is not focussed on technology development, but on application of technologies in combination with project development, urban and rural planning. Other aspects then technology, like way of cooperation, tasks and responsibilities, uncertainties and risks, contracting and financing are subjects of study.

Change in perspective
Last years soil is no longer seen as dirt that often is contaminated, but as a compartment of our environment that supports essential functions for our environment and offers additional space for economical and societal functions. The use of the soil has to be sustainable, that means that functions of the soil will remain vital on the long run. There are other threats that have to be taken into account, like effects on the carbon-cycle, biodiversity, sinking etc. But for development also important is the fact that several functions for using the soil can not take place in the same area at the same time. Spatial planning of the use of the underground becomes necessary. Special planning and soil quality planning will have to work together. In the Netherlands experiments are taken place with so called three-dimensional spatial planning: structure and characteristics of the soil forming a basic, long term condition for special planning, the network of transportation (roads, rail roads and waterways) a mid term condition and the use of space a short to mid-term process.

Brownfield (re)development and technology
The redevelopment process and the new remediation technologies do not always fit together well. Redevelopment takes place I a certain period of time, the period of investments should be limited, should be profitable and transfer of ownership should be free of any obligations for remaining remediation activities. New ways of financing remediation and soil quality management and new ways of organising soil quality management are necessary. If these will not be found the longer existing remediation technologies like dig and pump and treat, which are also expensive will remain the only solution. High remediation costs main that only high profitable site can be redeveloped if the are contaminated. Lower profitable locations that are contaminated will stay in that situation for ever. The area of brownfields will grow and consumption of greenfields also. In the Netherlands the area of greenfields is limited, so finding solutions is essential for the future.