Project of the Quarter

 

"CE based instrument using Microsystem and Biosensor technologies for bioremediation monitoring Application" (CEMBA)

The intent of CEMBA is to develop a viable alternative technology for on-site analysis of heavy metals and organic compounds that will perform as well or better than the best currently available equivalent technology (BAET). Enviro Europa, S.A. participates in this project as end user of the technology, adviser to field test methods and protocol design, and coordinator of quality control/quality assurance procedures for prototype testing against conventional test methods. In addition, Enviro Europa, S.A. will provide samples throughout the project, as well as conduct the field tests of the developed prototype.

The testing program will be two-tiered. Tier one will be a site characterization study, while tier two will be a remediation study. The goal of tier one is to fully characterize the heavy metal and organic content of the soil on-site. The goal of tier two is to determine plant up-take rates of metals, and natural attenuation rates of organic compounds on-site. Samples of plant tissue and soils will be analyzed systematically using both, the CEMBA technology and the BAET.

Various test sites have been designated for this project, including three landfills (located in Italy and Greece) and one wastewater treatment plant (located in Greece). The landfill sites were selected based on pre-existing knowledge of contamination and are partially funded for clean up, thereby eliminating the prohibitive costs of developing an artificial site dedicated exclusively to this project. In addition, they meet the quality objectives of this project by representing real-world environmental conditions.

This project is in its second year and is being partially funded by the European Community. Other partners involved in this project include University College Cork (Ireland), Lund University (Sweden), Jenoptik Mikrotechnik GmbH (Germany), and Jenway Ltd. (United Kingdom).