There are thousands of sites in the EU that are contaminated with toxic metals due to past industrial use, landfills, pesticides and other sources of pollution. The European Commission states that 35% of all soil in the EU is degraded. The largest and the most polluted areas are usually those with high population density and intensive industry. The European Environment Agency estimates that approximately 250 000 sites in EU are somehow contaminated and would require a clean-up. With new researches, their number is growing. In the European Commission reports, a lack of appropriate technologies for soil remediation and their evaluation is stated. The lack of appropriate technologies is also one of the reason why the European Commission has not yet approved the Soil Directive (COM (2006) 232). The need for new technologies is most significant in the field of viable and sustainable technologies for remediation of soil contaminated with metals such as lead and cadmium. The existing technologies allow only partial removal of toxic metals from soil, during which soil loses most of its natural characteristics and functions. The removed particles (10-40 %) are simply deposited on landfills, during the existing technologies.

We have developed an innovative technology  to clean up heavily contaminated soil and sediments with potentially toxic elements. Our new innovative technology removes most of the potentially toxic elements from the soil and provides a permanent rehabilitation of soil without any negative consequences for the environment. Environmental problems are therefore not shifted elsewhere and do not remain anymore a burden for future generations.

Chelating ligands are well known for their ability to complex with metals and ability to remove metals from the soil. Proposed method is soil friendly and enables soil use as a plant substrate after remediation. Innovative aspects of the technology enable recycling of all process solutions, up to 90% recycling of the ligand and removal of all mobile fractions of metals from the soil. All the process is held in a closed process loop that prevent any harmful emissions and any negative impact on the environment. Envit d.o.o., will demonstrate in the project LIFE ReSoil achieved research results in the natural environment in the partnership with Arhel d.o.o.