Remediation of industrial site

Mercury-contaminated waste

Virotec Global Solutions is conducting one of its largest environmental remediation projects to date: the demolition, sorting, treatment, stabilisation and disposal of mercury-contaminated waste at a large recently closed industrial site owned by Tas Paper in Australia.

A significant water treatment project was completed at the site in 2003-2004. In 2010 Virotec was engaged to complete the larger task of demolishing the contaminated sections of the building, excavating concrete and disused tanks, sorting all forms of contaminated waste, which included concrete, steel, timber, bricks, soil and other contaminated solids, pulverising concrete and bricks on site, and then treating the waste solid, due to the high levels of leachable mercury bound tightly into the solid matrix of the demolition waste. Asbestos management was also a key aspect of the project.

The process of waste sorting on site was of particular interest, such that the different waste streams were carefully graded and grouped in order to maximise and facilitate treatment and recycling regimes and methods. Virotec had a team of six professionals on site for the duration of the project, and heavy equipment, such as a 45 t excavator.

In the past Virotec has completed similar projects, however, this is one of the largest projects of its kind, where the company has been contracted to manage all facets of the demolition, treatment and disposal of a building on this scale. Virotec believes that several projects of a similar scale will be secured in Australia during the next 18 months and is particularly gratified to add the safe management of asbestos, along with large-scale mercury stabilisation, to its suite of services.