LUKAVAC, 29 March (BelTA - FENA) - The Center for bioremediation of soil contaminated with oil and petroleum products opened today in Lukavac as the first plant of this kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, which will enable analyses of the soil and reduction of the amount of pollutants by using natural processes.
The center will conduct the soil analyses in two ways, ‘ex-situ' and ‘in-situ' methods, and the process of bioremediation will begin with the excavation and transportation of the contaminated soil into this center, while the entire procedure for verifying the quality of the soil will last from six to 12 months.
In addition to the improvement of the state of the environment, this facility opens up new opportunities for significant remediation procedures, which are highly needed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The company Kemis BH, which built the center in cooperation with Czech company Dekonta, has obtained an environmental permit for this facility.
The support for issuing of the permit was provided by the Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection of the Tuzla Canton and the Municipality of Lukavac.
General Manager of Kemis BH Maid Hadžimujić explained in a statement to FENA that the center will enable bioremediation of soil, construction materials and stone material that have been contaminated with hydrocarbons.
“The intention is to enable environmental protection and sustainable development. We can now in Bosnia and Herzegovina catch up with European standards when it comes to environmental protection,” said Hadžimujić, expressing hope that the Center will produce numerous benefits.
The Bioremediation Center has been established as a result of the idea for a concrete reduction of pressure on the environment through soil in an environmentally acceptable way, and the re-use of the purified soil. It was also noted that another Center of this kind will be built in Goražde.
