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Project:  Former Bitumen Refinery, Ardrossan

Value:  £1,400,000

Timescale:  24 months

 

This coastal site was heavily contaminated by years of use as a bitumen refinery. Tidal action caused high concentrations of hydrocarbons to be smeared over a 2m depth. The client wished to remediate the site to a standard suitable for residential development. Careful management of odour was also essential as the site was bordered by housing.

 

ERS excavated the contaminated soil from beneath the water table. This allowed skimming off of free product and then removal of the contaminated groundwater underneath. The water was treated to a level where it could be legally disposed of. An impermeable treatment pad was then constructed to allow bioremediation of contaminated soils in a biopile. 30,000 m3 of soil was treated, of which 20,000 m3 was then re-used on the site to reduce materials costs.

 

ERS also excavated and treated Japanese Knotweed contaminated areas of the site, some of which had soil co-contaminated with both Japanese Knotweed and hydrocarbons. There were also several sub-surface structures which required removal.

 

Throughout the project, ERS maintained dust and odour suppression systems along with excavation and boundary monitoring including thermal desorption tubes to minimise any adverse effects on the local community in the surrounding houses.

 

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