A study led by scientist Tomas Albergaria point’s failures in national legislation.
Soils contaminated with gasoline and oil products represent a major cause of contamination around the world including Portugal. The presence of these contaminants can affect the vegetation and groundwater, creating a hazard to animals (who eat it) and thru an indirect pathway for humans. A major cause of such pollution is caused by the construction of the reservoir filling stations for fuel. Portugal does not have legislation that promotes the protection of the soil, allowing situations to occur that lead to contamination with uncontrolled damage to the environment and in extreme cases to the public health. For Tomas Albergaria, researcher at the Superior Institute of Engineering of Porto (ISEP) and responsible for a study that shows solutions to the problem, "it is urgent for our country to take measures in this area" similar to what happens to countries like Belgium or the Netherlands. The Group Reactions and Chemical Analysis of ISEP (GRAQ) have as one of its areas of research soil remediation. The study focused on the combination of two of the most used technologies for the remediation of soils contaminated with petroleum compounds, the Vapor Extraction (VE) and Bioremediation (BR), evaluating the efficiency and feasibility of the combination of both.
Other technologies, including nanotechnology have been studied and developed to respond to various types of contamination. According to the researcher, "we have been working with several remediation technologies to increase their knowledge and develop new applications. It is a work that has had international repercussions. From the research we were able to publish several articles in scientific journals of high impact. There are solutions to move forward with the remediation of soils, all we need is sufficient political will to begin implementing the contaminated sites that present themselves. "
In scientific terms, the work in ISEP has enabled the establishment of partnerships, including the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the University of Aarhus, which has allowed the exchange of specific know-how and students. A final note in Portugal there is no legislation to check the real quality of our soils and promote decontamination, since the national legal framework is not changed since 1976, unlike what happens in Belgium, the UK or in Holland. "In these countries there is a maximum concentration of certain contaminants in soil. Reached this index, the owners are required to decontaminate it," explains Tomas Albergaria.
