unlikely method for reclaiming brownfields

[Bob Hersh <bhersh@cpeo.org>]

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Brownfields get Muck Makeover
Nature
By Michael Hopkin

Environmental engineers are testing an unlikely method of reclaiming
contaminated land: spreading sewage on it.

The Biostore project, which this week began trials near Huddersfield in
Britain, aims to create solid building foundations from a mixture of
treated sewage, coal shale and discarded building rubble. The plan's
backers hope it will enable derelict land, including landfills, to be
reused.

Most developed countries have a problem with so-called brownfield sites,
which are left empty because of contamination with industrial waste. In
Britain, for example, this derelict land covers 0.8% of the country's
entire area.

Traditional buildings are difficult to construct on such land because
they require foundations that reach deep into the contaminated earth. So
Bill Dudeney of Imperial College London and his colleagues are working
on a cheap way to create a stable foundation layer on top of the earth.

They suggest using compacted rubble, filling the spaces with treated
sewage and sealing the result in a clay lining. The result is a solid,
waterproof platform that can support light-weight buildings or topsoil.

*****
For the entire story see,
http://www.nature.com/nsu/040426/040426-10.html


Bob Hersh
Brownfields Program Director
Center for Public Environmental Oversight (CPEO)
1101 Connecticut Ave., NW  Suite 1000
Washington, DC  20036

Tel:     202.452.8043
Fax:    202.452.8095
email:  bhersh@cpeo.org
url:      www.cpeo.org
 

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