What is Biorehabilitation

What is BIOREHABILITATION

Biorehabilitation is a series of rehabilitation technologies based on the action of microorganisms that are naturally present in the environment, even when it is polluted, which when stimulated with the right method, manage to degrade and detoxify pollutants, which are used by them as a food source or become harmless.

Biorehabilitation interventions are mostly performed in situ, without removing the contaminated matrix and are determinant for most of the most common environmental contaminants.

The types of pollutants that can be cleaned with biorehabilitation systems match the most typical scenarios of soil and groundwater pollution in Albania and beyond, such as hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents, metals and other organic pollutants. In these cases, in addition to the implementation of safety measures that do not allow the spread, it is possible to completely rehabilitate the area, acting directly on the source of pollution, which is detoxified through the action of indigenous microorganisms.

INNOVATIVE

The biorehabilitation technologies defined by the ITQ Group and Biosearch Ambiente represent the most advanced intervention systems for environmental rehabilitation, are applicable to source and diffuse pollution, even in the absence of a defined conceptual model, and possess the highest standards. high environmental and economic sustainability.

STABLE

The biorehabilitation systems implemented by the ITQ Group and Biosearch Ambiente s.r.l., which are introduced for the first time in Albania by the INQ Project, make it possible to reduce rehabilitation costs by up to 70% compared to traditional intervention systems. Effectiveness, environmental and economic sustainability make biorehabilitation the best solution for polluted areas spread in Albania by industrial activity, oil extraction, etc. in accordance with the defined evaluation criterion B.A.T.N.E.E.C. of the European Union.

EFFECTIVE

The biorehabilitation technologies defined by the ITQ Group and Biosearch Ambiente that INQ Project aims to spread and implement in Albania have been successfully implemented in both environmental rehabilitation and ensuring the prevention of the spread of pollution. These are dynamic systems that adapt to the circumstances, which are modulated on the basis of monitoring results and have the ability to solve pollution problems by acting directly at the source.

REHABILITATION OF HOT POINTS IN ALBANIA

INQ Project, with the experience of the ITQ Group in the treatment of polluted areas and hazardous waste and the patented technology of Biosearch Ambiente srl, through a close knowledge of environmental problems, which also include the implementation of microorganism testing in accredited laboratories in environmental microbiology and field tests, performed directly on contaminated matrices, determine the specific solution to be followed for each hot-spot in order to rehabilitate the vital functions of environmental matrices. Efficiency, environmental and economic sustainability make biorehabilitation the best solution for Polluted areas spread in Albania by industrial activity, oil extraction, etc. in accordance with the defined evaluation criterion B.A.T.N.E.E.C. of the European Union.

Find out the tests

Bio-traceability test Implementing biorehabilitation-based rehabilitation systems requires skills and knowledge for optimal intervention planning and management that few companies have. The bioavailability test is one of the first steps in the intervention design process and is often required by the control body as a test for the feasibility of the intervention.

Through the Laboratory of Biosearch Ambiente s.r.l., INQ Project can perform for its clients the bioavailability test, an irreplaceable instrument for:

• choosing the optimal solution for intervention
• assess the feasibility of a biorehabilitation intervention
• definition of operational variables

Microcosm test

The complexity of a biorehabilitation intervention is significantly reduced if carefully designed through a specific laboratory test. The tests are performed on the reactors (microcosms) of the Biosearch Ambiente s.r.l. Environmental Microbiology Laboratory. in order to:

• field conditions are reproduced in vitro
• factors that are considered useful for reducing pollutants are tested

METHODS

The integrated method proposed by Gruppo ITQ and Biosearch Ambiente that INQ Project implements in Albania and the region, provides for monitoring for a predetermined period of time the main chemical, physical and microbiological parameters. The test can be performed in the solid, sludge or aqueous microcosm, both under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The test is tailored to the specific needs of the client and the contaminant to be treated. The microcosm test is performed on one or more representative samples of the area to be rehabilitated.

RESULTS

The test results provide information about:
• Optimal conditions for reducing pollution
• Limiting factors
• Reaction kinetics
• The types of substances to be used and the exact amount needed for the rehabilitation objective
• Reaction by-products

The application of this method allows us to:

• Define feasibility and some indicators for biorehabilitation intervention deadlines
• Define operational variables to optimize the timeliness and effectiveness of the biorehabilitation process
• Implementation and monitoring of interventions

POLLUTANTS THAT WE TREAT

The ITQ Group and Biosearch Ambiente s.r.l., registered in the National Register of Environmental Managers in Italy, have carried out several rehabilitation projects of polluted soils and groundwater, demonstrating that biorehabilitation is a technology that offers definitive solutions with high environmental and economic sustainability.

HYDROCARBONS

Hydrocarbons, the main components of fuels such as oil, gasoline or kerosene, are the most common pollutants of land, groundwater, surface and marine in some major municipalities in Albania. Biorehabilitation systems allow the biodegradation of these substances through soil intrusion of macro and micronutrients and soil aeration.

CHROME HEXAVALENT

Hexavalent chromium is one of the most dangerous environmental pollutants in Albania, as a country rich in chromium resources and an intensive mining industry. It is highly soluble in water and when it reaches groundwater it moves easily creating pollution plumes. If stimulated with the right methods, bacteria found naturally in soil and groundwater are able to reduce hexavalent chromium by rapidly and irreversibly transforming it into trivalent chromium.

METALS

Metals such as Nickel, Zinc, Arsenic, Mercury, Iron and Manganese have polluted many soils and groundwater in Albania, especially as a result of extractive and heavy industries before 1990. INQ Project conducts preliminary research and in collaboration with ITQ Group and Biosearch Ambiente srl allows successful rehabilitation of this type of pollution.

CHLORINATED SOLVENTS

Chlorinated solvents have been used for years in the civil and industrial field, especially before the 1990s creating hot spots such as the former PVC and the Soda Factory in Vlora. Compounds such as perchlorethylene, trichlorethylene or chloroform still pose a very serious risk to residents near these areas due to toxicity and carcinogenicity. Pollution from organo-chlorinated compounds often reaches groundwater. Biosearch Ambiente s.r.l. and Gruppo ITQ have effective and definitive solutions that consist of utilizing bacteria that are naturally present in contaminated foci by degrading these compounds.

MTBE

MTBE (methyl ter butyl ether) is a synthetic organic compound used as an additive for green gasoline to replace lead tetraethyl used in the past. Due to the high solubility, MTBE spreads to large areas, where, in the absence of a cleaning process, it remains there for a long time. The ITQ Group and Biosearch Ambiente have developed an in situ biorehabilitation system capable of resolving even widespread pollution situations.

PCB – POLYCLORINATED BIFENILES

PHASES OF REHABILITATION

The rehabilitation process for a contaminated area is a complex and intricate process. INQ Project can make available to the client (municipalities, private) a qualified team at your disposal, able to provide advice and accompany you during the various stages provided by the relevant legislation, offering you the most modern technologies and solutions at an affordable cost and a low environmental impact.

PRELIMINARY RESEARCH

The INQ Project provides an overview of the state of the environment. The results of this research will be compared with the Threshold Contamination - CTC (Concentration Threshold Contamination) defined in the legislation and if it is higher, this area is defined as "potentially polluted".

CHARACTERIZATION PLAN

The resulting administrative procedure includes the drafting of the Characterization Plan by the responsible person and the public administration, within which the chemical and hydrogeological research defined in the Conceptual Model is determined, which determines the origin of the pollution and its spread in the area.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RISK ANALYSIS

The next phase of this procedure is related to the implementation of Risk Analysis in the specific area. If the concentrations of contaminants detected in the area are less than the Risk Threshold Concentrations (RTC) determined by the Risk Analysis procedure, there is no obligation to clear them; if it is higher than the RTC, the area is defined as “polluted” and a rehabilitation solution should be proposed by designing a project called the Operational Rehabilitation Project.

PILOT TEST

To achieve the best applicable solution and to optimize the costs and timing of the intervention, it is necessary to conduct pilot tests in the laboratory and in the field.

OPERATIONAL REHABILITATION PROJECT (ORP)

ORP (Operational Rehabilitation Project) contains the development and implementation of an operational project that aims to achieve an acceptable level of risk with the state of pollution. The proposed intervention in the ORP should represent the best workable solution to solve the specific pollution problem according to the BATNEEC (Best Available Techniques Not Entailing Excessive Costs) principle.

REHABILITATION INTERVENTION

The intervention involves the execution of the ORP authorized by the relevant institutions. Gruppo ITQ and Biosearch Ambiente are authorized companies for the rehabilitation of polluted areas.