Sustainable remediation of a small site Lessons learnt - company perspective

Le Letten, France

September 2, 2016 MEDICHEM Congress

Dr. Hans-Jürg Reinhart, BASF

Content

1. Situation

2. Remediation

– Targets

– Organization

– Milestones

– Protective measures

– Transportation

3. Key learnings

4. Communication

• Forrest area

• Former clay pit

• Area : 7'500 m²

• Situation: Hagenthal-le-Bas (F), approximately 300 m from Swiss boarder to Schönenbuch (CH)

• Operated 1957 - 1960

Situation

• Volume: approx. 35'000 m3 (incl. cover material)

• Industrial and chemical waste , mixed with construction material and debris

• Chemical waste: tar like distillation residues, solid waste, filter cloth with residues , laboratory glassware (max. 10% of material deposited)

Landfill

Targets

• Sustainable remediation, by removing the complete mixed layer, the resulting material is treated in specialized treatment plants

• Reestablish original state of soil, forest and groundwater

• Carry out remediation work in a safe and environmental friendly manner

• Avoid noise or odor impact in neighborhood

> This sustainable remediation is a voluntary action of the involved GI DRB companies.

Key Data Le Letten Project

• Waste volume: 40’000 t

• Waste Treatment: Germany

• Project start May 2010

• Excavation Finished July 2011

• Landscaping December 2011

• Reforestation November 2012

• Project budget 21 Mio. €.

• General planer and contractor

Organization

GI DRB Client

EHS Coordinator

ERM France General Planner

General Contractor Construction

Waste Treatment

HIM GmbH

VERITAS

The Groupement d’intérêts pour la sécurité des décharges de la Région bâloise (GI DRB), is an organization representing the remediation activities of the Basel chemical and pharmaceutical Industry (BASF, Novartis and Syngenta), and carried out the sustainable remediation of the former Le Letten landfill.

Milestones Deforestation (spring 2010)

Vue du site le 23 juin 2010

Vue du site le 30 juin 2010

• Installation of infrastructure and machinery (summer 2010)

• Removal of cover material and storage on site (summer 2010)

Milestones

Construction of roof

Infrastructure Le Letten

• Temporary cover (since Dezember 2010)

• Excavation of mixed layer and transport in sealed containers to the treatment plants (since January 2011)

Milestones

Temporary hall Le Letten

Start of excavation

Machine with independent compressed air supply

Landfill

End of excavation

Milestones

Excavation

• Refill pit with stored cover material

• Reshape landscape

Milestones

After landscaping

Reforest area of former waste site

Milestones

Le Letten

Le Letten

• Excavation of material below atmospheric pressure

• Ventilation and treatment of air with active carbon

• Storage and Transportation of excavated materials in airtight closed containers

Protective Measures: Air

Protective measures: Groundwater • Pump & Treat

• Monitoring of groundwater with 16 Piezometer

• Active carbon filtration with two filters in series

• Transport and treatment in industrial waste water plant of Huningue

29

Le Letten – ground water monitoring

Protective Measures: Rain water • No contact of rain water with contaminated areas

• Rainwater is collected

• Discharge of rain water to the Lertzbach after chemical analysis

Protective Measures: Chemicals of concern

• Chlorobenzenes (lead substance)

• Chlorinated Amines (lead substance)

• Barbiturates (lead substance)

• Substituted Phenols

• Volatile Organic Compound (VOC)

• Nitro benzenes

• Aromatic hydrocarbons (BTEX)

• Vinyl-Chloride

• Terpenes

• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH)

• Benzene

• Phthalate

• Elements/ Metals

• etc.

Protective Measures: Health & Safety

• Ventilation (> 1 air change/h) and treatment of air with active carbon

• Personal protective clothing and independent air supply for activities within temporary housing

• Permanent radio contact with workers in the black zone

• In depth hygiene and safety education for collaborators needing access to the black zone

• Regular health checks and bio monitoring

• Constant surveillance of site

• Emergency planning and training with blue light services

Machine with independent air

supply

Black and white

infrastructure

Black – White Transition

Transportation • Transfer of containers to the railway hub Neuenburg (D) by truck

• Transport of the container to the treatment plants by rail

• Each container comes with transportation paperwork (Abfallbegleitschein) and is followed closely along the way.

• Containers are equipped with carbon filter for breathing at temperature changes

Excavation, loading and transportation of waste

Principle of material air lock

Treatment of waste materials

• Elimination of organic substance by thermal desorption or incineration

• Treatment plants:

• BBE GmbH, Deutzen (D)

• SITA, Herne (D)

• HIM GmbH, Biebesheim (D)

> High treatment- and energy efficiency

Dry Matter % 75

Cyanure (CN) mg/kg MS 5 000

Arsenic (As) mg/kg MS 500

Cadmium (Cd) mg/kg MS 200

Mercure (Hg) mg/kg MS 1 500

Plomb (Pb) mg/kg MS 6 000

HCT mg/kg MS 300 000

HAP mg/kg MS 300 000

CAV-BTEX mg/kg MS 20 000

Benzène mg/kg MS 5 000

PCB mg/kg MS 1 000

Pentachlorophénol mg/kg MS 1 000

COHV mg/kg MS 20 000

Chlorobenzènes mg/kg MS 2 000

Alkyl, clorophénols mg/kg MS 1 000

Phénol mg/kg MS 10 000

Technical criteria

Chlore % 2

Soufre % 2

COT % 30

Acceptance criteria SITA Herne

Key learning

• Environment Health & Safety needs a lot of attention in these interdisciplinary remediation projects

• Not all players are have sufficient experience to tackle these relatively young remediation activities

• A full time safety officer is key

• Work hygiene is not a core business of construction companies

• An independent work hygiene consultant is very helpful

• The independent EHS coordinator requested by the French law has his emphasis on mechanical work safety.

• Regular audits (general planner, project lead, work safety & hygiene specialist, etc.)

• Modern technology is helpful (cameras ir & vis, heat detectors, communication equipment)

• Also the non-chemical phases (infrastructure and decommissioning) need sufficient attention

Communications Le Letten

• Website GI DRB (www.gidrb.ch): Up to date information to the remediation project Le Letten with regular News-Flash (Site-Bulletin, analytical results of groundwater monitoring etc.)

• Newsletter: Direct information for neighbors in Hagenthal-le-Bas (F) and Schönenbuch (CH)

• Information on Site: Posters, Newsletter dispenser

• Regular meetings with authorities (Environmental authorities CH/F, city councils Hagenthal-le-Bas und Schönenbuch)

• Media: 24h hotline to GI DRB communications, regular media releases, interviews

• Hotline open 24h to the public

• Presentations at community meetings

• «Commission d’information et concertation» organized by sous-préfecture

Contact

Hotline +41 61 225 44 77 info@gidrb.ch Media Relations +41 61 225 42 22 medien@gidrb.ch Adress Groupement d’intérêts pour la sécurité des décharges de la Région bâloise (GI DRB) c/o BASF Schweiz AG P. O. Box Klybeckstrasse 141 CH-4002 Basel Switzerland

Backup

Legal Framework • GI DRB is the successor of the «Interessengemeinschaft Deponiesicherheit Region

Basel » who organized the technical investigations from 2001 until 2009.

• Die GI DRB is small company (privatrechtlicher Verein) founded by the successor companies of the former Basel chemical industry BASF, Novartis und Syngenta.

• A contract (Convention) dated 2005 with the French State addresses the terms of the collaboration with the GI DRB during the investigation phase. 2009 a special amendment was signed to define the remediation.

• Contracts between the concerned landowner and the GI DRB describe the targets of the voluntary remediation activities and define the terms of the realization phase.

• The remediation permit of the French State and the and the precautions to be taken to protect human health and the environment are addressed in the decree of the «Préfet du Département Haut-Rhin» dated Mai 17, 2010.

Treated Waste Quantities Le Letten

• Waste treated in Germany (mixed layer) • BBE Deutzen 34’462 t

• SITA Herne 1’806 t

• HIM Biebesheim 1’525 t

• AVG Hamburg 1’536 t

• Waste treated in France • SITA Jeandelaincourt (cover material) 397.7 t

• Barisien SA Briey (Astbestos) 0.6 t

• SITA Retzwiler (Plastics, Metals) 55.3 t

• Rokemann T.P. (Concrete) 78.0 t

• Sundgau Compost (Roots and green waste) 78.3 t