News Release

Lithuanian scientists clean up at 2011 EUREKA Innovation Award

Grant and Award Announcement

EUREKA

It is well known just how damaging oil can be to nature. It is also well known just how difficult it can be to clean up after a spill or contamination. Removing an oil spill or contamination from soil is hard and requires very different techniques to removing oil from water. A Lithuanian company, Biocentras, together with academic partners from Latvia and Lithuania, developed a technique that has so far cleaned over 22,000 tons of soil without the need for potentially harmful chemicals or genetically-modified technologies. This natural process transforms contaminated soil so that it can be used again for growing all kinds of plants.

Many of the existing solutions for the problem of cleaning contaminated soil rely on chemicals. For highly contaminated soil, larger amounts of chemicals are required, meaning that the potential for side-effects on the surrounding environment are increased. Other solutions use genetically-modified bacteria which have their own potential problems, including a lack of public trust.

In contrast, once the non-genetically-modified bacteria from the E! 2522 OPTISOIL CLEAN project have done their work, they simply die and become food to other forms of life. This provides a totally natural solution, known as biodegradation. The role of Biocentras is therefore one of optimising the use of the bacteria to provide the right amount and the best possible conditions. Not only is the process cleaner and more natural, but their internal studies suggest that it is one of the most efficient methods currently available.

The developed technology can be applied to soil contaminated by any concentration of oil or oil products. Usually biodegradation can be effective in 20 to 50 g/kg of pollution, and sometimes up to 100 g/kg. However, Biocentras manages to clean up oil sludge with up to 300 g/kg of pollutants.

The role of EUREKA

EUREKA played an important role in this project. By helping Biocentras understand how international R&D should be performed, they renewed their laboratory which has led to an on-going involvement in Europe's scientific and innovation markets.

This involvement includes working with partners based both in Lithuania and Latvia on this project. The Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania provided assistance from their Environmental Engineering Institute and their Process Control Department, where they helped to optimise most of the treatment processes. While the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry also played a role by participating in the development of the phytoremediation stage.

Currently, this technology is mainly in use in Lithuania. Biocentras has a number of smaller clients and one larger client – an oil refinery – which has enabled them to continue their testing and perfecting of the method. They have now successfully treated over 22,000 tons of soil.

Monika Kavaliauske sees the next phase of development as taking the process into the warmer, oil-producing parts of the world. She says, 'We have no clients in the Middle East and are actively looking for them. There are potential applications for most of the world and we are keen to develop it further'.

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ABOUT THE EUREKA INNOVATION AWARD:

The EUREKA Innovation Award was introduced by the Portuguese Chairmanship of EUREKA. With this award, EUREKA gives recognition to a project on the basis of its outstanding technological and commercial achievement and societal impact. This award aims to ensure long-lasting visibility for the project's achievements and its participants and give a clear and strong message on the critical role EUREKA has to play in maintaining Europe's competitive edge and technological advantage in the global market.

The EUREKA Innovation Award is exploited by each Chairmanship in a different way, focusing on one or more of its priorities for the Chairmanship year. The EUREKA Innovation Award ceremony takes during high visibility events of the EUREKA network such as Ministerial or Inter-Parliamentary Conferences.

In 2009, the EUREKA Innovation Award was bestowed on the EUREKA project E! 3161 LOGCHAIN+ E_RAILMAP, an Internet-based European railway map and GPS tracking system enabling rail freight users to track deliveries across more than 40 countries, making rail as simple to use as road transport.

The EUREKA Innovation Award 2010 winner was the project MEDEA+ ONOM@TOPIC+, which focused on the development of an international programming standard allowing several technological breakthroughs such as using a mobile phone to buy public transport tickets and accessing health and other public services in other European states by just presenting an electronic card or passport.


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