EKOGRID to Help the Largest Global Oil Disaster Recovery Project in Nigeria

In-situ remediation specialists Eko Harden Technologies have announced that environmental remediation company, Recowell Solutions Group have chosen its EKOGRID electrokinetic oxidation solution for the world’s largest oil contamination recovery project in Nigeria’s Ogoniland region.

The EKOGRID electrokinetic oxidation technology will be used as part of a larger hybrid solution and is designed and optimised for the efficient treatment of toxic organic contaminants, such as Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds in the Ogoniland environmental conditions. This first contract covers the treatment of one of the 21 contaminated sites awarded in the first phase.

The Ogoniland restoration project is governed by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), an organisation authorised by the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Environment, and will be scaled up to cover hundreds of contaminated sites over a 1,000 km2 region of Ogoniland.

An independent scientific assessment carried out by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), showed that recovery from the pollution that was caused by more than 50 years of oil operations in the region can take up to 30 years. UNEP, which also coordinates the Ogoni Environmental Restoration Fund also estimated that capital funding of up US$1-billion would be required to cover the first five years of the clean-up project.

According to Jussi Koskinen, the Chairman of Recowell Solutions Group, EKOGRID is a crucial component in Recowell’s hybrid in-situ remediation solution. “EKOGRID enables us to extend the bioremediation to the deep soil and groundwater,” and he continues, “It speeds up the remediation process and makes more efficient use of the bioremediation agents,” he concludes.

“We are very proud to be awarded one of the first commercial contracts in Ogoniland - after several years of development work and conducting demanding pilots and tests with Recowell,” Panu Lindberg, the Project Director at Eko Harden Technologies explains.

“Eko Harden Technologies commits to the Ogoniland recovery multi-year project and feels honored to be able to help to save and restore the local environment, habitat and improve life for the local society”, Lindberg says, and continues, “The EKOGRID electrokinetic remediation solution in Ogoniland project will open the doors to further Nigerian and African remediation markets.”

Recowell Solutions Group’s in-situ remediation solution is suitable for the efficient remediation at contamination sites and with this solution, there is no need for excavation or to transport the soil for off-site remediation.

Recowell’s solution is a combination method for petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soil and groundwater remediation and clean-up of oil spills. There is no need to excavate and transport the soils for off-site remediation. The essence of the methodology consists of the microbes capable of degrading the petroleum hydrocarbons.

The solution maintains the optimal environmental conditions, at any depth and soil type, for efficient remediation to meet the targets set by the authorities. The biodegradable oil-absorbent and slow-release nutrient source in Recowell’s solution is mixed with the contaminated soil and can capture the petroleum hydrocarbons. Remediation is kick-started by a bioremediation solution and includes high-performance enzymes and non-toxic bio-activators.

In large scale applications, for mobile and fully automated mixing platforms, Työkone Koivisto’s Mixing Solution is used for the optimum deployment of the bioremediation products to the polluted soil. The electrokinetic oxidation technique, EKOGRID, is applied to cover the polluted soil volume to create oxygen and free radicals and further enhances the bioremediation by mixing the ions, water, microbes, and the petroleum hydrocarbons within the whole treatment volume.

About Eko Harden Technologies

Eko Harden Technologies aims to become one of the world’s leading providers of greentech and cleantech technology and service providers and their technologies will be used by governments, United Nations agencies, local municipalities, industrials, and energy companies. Its patented EKOGRID technology supports the growth of global wealth and health in a sustainable manner by removing chemical pollutants in both land and water “in situ” by advanced oxidation and enhanced bioremediation. Visit https://ekogrid.fi/.

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