Technology Overview

Conventional soil remediation methods, such as thermal desorption involve physical or chemical reactions to alter the physical properties of the soil for control of contaminant. These methods are costly and require the disposal of the resource, taking up space in landfills.

This technology relates to a microbial formulation that has proven efficacy to treat petroleum polluted soil in the tropics. The bioaugmentation technology developed involves the addition of chemical-degrading microorganisms to the contaminated sites (e.g., oil spills) to remove the pollutant, allowing repurpose of the land, soil, and water. The process is environmentally friendly, highly portable and does not require deployment of large machinery on-site. The soil after treatment is compliant to the current United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) and Australian standards (below 1,000 ppm Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH)) with proven efficacy to work in tropical climates.

The technology provider is looking for collaboration for large-scale testing and deployment, or partners to test the feasibility of the treated soil for farming purposes and develop formulation for soil rehabilitation for farming and food production.

Technology Features, Specifications and Advantages

The bioaugmentation uses locally sourced microbial strains, optimised for climate conditions in Southeast Asia and the tropics. The technology involves the addition of chemical-degrading microorganisms.

The non-genetically modified, non-pathogenic, and non-toxic formulated product can be stored in air-conditioned facilities (25^oC) for up to 100 days.

Features:

1. Locally sourced microbial strains and optimized for climate conditions in Southeast Asia and the tropics.
2. The formulation is non-genetically modified, non-pathogenic, and non-toxic.
3. Manufactured in Singapore (i.e., does not require import permit to deploy in Singapore)
4. The product can be stored in air-conditioned facilities (25C) without the need of refrigeration. Shelf life up to 100 days. The product can also be spray dried for export.
5. Highly portable and able to reach hard-to-access and restricted areas, does not require deployment of heavy machinery and sophisticated instruments
6. Simple application procedure: unseal and pour

Specifications:

1. Application dose for soil is approximately 1 litre of product to 1 metric ton per 10,000 ppm TPH.
2. TPH reduction from 35,000 ppm to 7,000 ppm (5-fold or 80% reduction) within 100 days using direct application (without the use of biopile)
3. TPH reduction from 27,000 ppm to 1,000 ppm (27-fold or ~95% reduction) within 100 days using covered aerated biopile

Advantages:

1. The formulation is catered for the tropics as opposed to products currently available in temperate regions (no proven efficacy in the tropics).
2. Field proven in 4 different locations locally and ready for large scale application
3. High portability of the product allows for on-site application as opposed to other technologies that requires transport of soil / water to a designated facility. The procedure does not require usage of heavy machineries. For treatment up to 100 tons only with at least 2 full time workers on-site.
4. Minimum logistics requirement and does not require a replacement of soil.
5. The soil can be leave on-site without replacement after treatment.
6. The technology does not have a size restriction, it can be applied within a small space and applicable to locations listed as fire hazard.
7. The procedure does not require thermal desorption, avoids incineration and landfilling. Highly energy-saving and minimizes greenhouse gas emission compared to conventional treatment methods.

Potential Applications

Contaminated soil and groundwater (mainland and offshore locations) Wastewater Treatment Plants and tanks Non-centralized ground water treatment

This technology is mainly applied for soil remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater, but can be extended to the following applications:

• Wastewater treatment plants and tanks
• Non-centralised ground water treatment
• Soil rehabilitation for farming and food production without the use of fertiliser

Customer Benefit

Technical Field Experience from 30 years of providing technical consultancy services
Personalised direct collaboration with designer-developer
Customised solutions on site in Singapore
Home grown local support who understands local conditions

The technology provider is able to provide experienced technical consultancy services along with tailored solutions for local applications.