Brownfield Development Will Help the Global Housing Crisis
In the midst of a global housing crisis exacerbated by COVID-19, cities all over the world are scrambling to create space for affordable housing. A 2020 report from England suggested that “in order to hit the government’s goal of building six million new homes in the next 20 years, [we] must build on 1.5% of England’s undeveloped land – green belt land, that is.”
However, with climate change, the protection of greenspaces is at the forefront of policymakers’ decisions. One viable solution to preserve greenspaces and address the shortages in housing markets is to look to the revitalization of petroleum-impacted and explosives-impacted brownfields. This vacant land is sitting idle, taking up valuable space that could safely accommodate residential and mixed-use development within areas that are primed with utilities, water and transportation infrastructure.
According to the 2020 report, England has 182,000 brownfield sites — the equivalent of 64,247 acres — that can sustain more than one million new homes. America has an estimated 450,000 brownfields that could be redeveloped to support new housing. The restoration of these sites will improve local property values and help increase the tax base of municipalities. But brownfield redevelopment can be fraught with problems, a deterrent for investors and developers.
New, innovative technology is bridging this gap, offering more certainty and stability during the soil remediation phase of brownfield land revitalization. Proven to treat both hydrocarbon soil contamination as well as explosives impacted soils, Enhanced Thermal Conduction (ETC) technology offers cities and developers a more sustainable and predictable way to redevelop brownfields.
Remediating Explosives-Impacted Soil
Many Americans don’t readily think about soil that’s contaminated with explosives. However, the U.S. Army estimates there are 1.2 million tons of explosives-impacted soil on their bases alone. Explosives-impacted soil poses a particular problem for land development because it contains a range of toxic contaminants like TNT and RDX that are difficult to treat. The presence of these contaminants and the complications of remediation has long deterred government agencies and developers from restoring explosives-impacted land.
Royal Demolition Explosive (RDX), developed during World War II, changed the future of warfare. The material, a powerfully destructive explosive, was mass produced in Tennessee (40 million pounds per month in peak years) for more than 74 years, tested at military bases all over the United States, and is currently used in war by the U.S. and other nations. Consequently, RDX has contaminated soils and leached into water supplies around production and military training facilities, contaminating aquifers and nearby crops, and impacting environmental and human health.
2,4,6- trinitrotoluene (TNT), another common and hard to treat explosive, has also contaminated land in war zones, military bases and industrial sites around the world. Like RDX, TNT is hazardous to environmental and human health.
To treat contaminated soils, scientists have implemented in-situ bioremediation in an effort to eliminate contaminants from soils and groundwater, but current bioremediation applications aren't very effective. The process is slow, climate dependent, and the results are unpredictable. Rotary kilns and incineration are another method of remediation but these treatments can contaminate the air and result in reject waste which needs to be landfilled. The process also unnecessarily exposes humans and the broader environment to these chemicals.
In response to inefficient and ineffective soil remediation methods for explosives, Iron Creek Group developed their patented Enhanced Thermal Conduction (ETC) technology, proven to eliminate RDX, TNT, PAHs, PCBs and other explosive contaminants from the soil. Their ex-situ technology is safe and controlled, yielding predictable remedial end points. Treatment retains soil structure, while volatilizing the contaminants and destroying the off-gasses.
ETC technology operates continuously via enclosed units that are static, without moving parts. The process is quiet, complying with urban noise abatements. Only a small team is needed to monitor the treatment site, which minimizes overhead costs.
At the James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center in Ohio, formerly known as Ravenna Army Ammunition Plant (RVAAP), Iron Creek Group thermally treated approximately 6,000 tons of explosives impacted soil. Not only did ETC technology achieve clean soil sample results that exceeded the Industrial Remedial Goal Options (RGO) and EPA regulations, but the site was ready for development in just three months. Because the treatment process preserved the soil structure, the land was able to naturally revegetate with the help of rainwater and microbial activity.
Another major benefit of ETC technology is that it can be powered by a range of fuels, from propane to biomass. In fact, when treating petroleum-impacted soil, the technology can redirect the hydrocarbons from the soil to power the cleanup process without needing additional sources of power.
Remediating Hydrocarbon-Impacted Soil
While explosive-impacted soil may not be widely thought about by the general public, petroleum-impacted soil is. Petroleum (or Hydrocarbon) brownfields are typically a result of abandoned gas stations, fuel pipeline breaks, or leaking underground storage tanks. There are Federal and State brownfield programs in the U.S. that readily offer developers tax credits and incentives to revitalize designated petroleum brownfields located within urban and rural areas. But even with incentives, these spaces can be costly and challenging to restore which is an obvious deterrent for investors.
Given that abandoned gas stations can be tucked between high rises in city centers, choosing the right technology is critical for supporting the soil remediation phase of the redevelopment. Majority of in-situ and ex-situ soil remediation equipment can be cumbersome to transport and can take weeks to become operational. A crew is needed to monitor the loud, bulky technology around the clock to ensure the treatment process is safe and compliant.
These traditional technologies are limited by the type of geological material they can treat, which unfortunately results in up to 30% reject waste that will have to be disposed of in a landfill. All of this adds time, expense, and layers of unpredictability to the redevelopment process, detracting from government incentives.
To improve the certainty and stability of the soil remediation phase of hydrocarbon impacted brownfields, patented ETC Technology and Tech Zero technology developed by Iron Creek Group, provide an efficient, 100% waste-free process that removes contaminants, guaranteeing developers and investors remedial endpoints and predictable timelines.
The technology is safe, quiet and space efficient and able to operate between high rise complexes in city centers, complying with local laws while meeting the most stringent environmental regulations. Further, the technology can be powered by the contaminated soil itself, eliminating the need and expense of fuel, making the process more sustainable.
Advanced Soil Remediation Technology Incentivizes Brownfield Development
Iron Creek's patented designs are compact and mobile, yet, their technology has the ability to scale to treat large areas of contaminated land. This technology unlocks an opportunity to make land revitalization more predictable for developers and investors while allowing Federal, State and Local governments to conserve untouched green belts and preserve natural spaces.
Brownfields no longer have to be unused, derelict sites. Land contaminated with explosive materials, hydrocarbons and other organic contaminants, can be safely reclaimed for residential and mixed-use purposes to help address housing and real estate shortages. And contaminated soil no longer has to be trucked to a landfill where it will create future environmental liabilities. Treating the contaminants on site protects human health, improves the environment and the surrounding areas, allowing cities to utilize existing infrastructure without contributing to urban sprawl.
About Iron Creek Group
Serving North America, Iron Creek Group specializes in developing innovative, nimble technology that solves complex environmental issues. Learn how they’re leveraging technology to challenge the existing remediation paradigm by visiting, https://www.ironcreekgroup.com
For questions and further information, please email Ken Bell: ken@ironcreekgroup.com.