Schiphol treats first batch of PFAS-contaminated soil at new facility
Schiphol’s PFAS soil treatment facility is now operational. This summer, the first batch of PFAS-contaminated soil was remediated, marking the introduction of a solution that has been years in the making. Over the coming years, Schiphol will be able to treat approximately 200,000 tonnes of PFAS-contaminated soil. Most of this material can be reused after treatment, turning what was once considered waste into a valuable resource for future projects.
PFAS has been a challenge for projects across the Netherlands for years. At Schiphol, construction works can also result in the excavation of soil containing PFAS. PFAS at Schiphol is found, among other places, at sites where PFAS-containing firefighting foam was used in the past during training exercises and emergency incidents. Schiphol Fire Service no longer uses PFAS-containing firefighting foam. Much of that soil has been stored at the airport for some time while a long-term soil treatment solution was being developed. With the new facility, Schiphol can clean the soil and reuse a large proportion of it in future projects.
Useful resource
During the process, PFAS is removed from the soil by utilising its solubility in water. The PFAS is then removed from the water through a purification process. This is expected to yield approximately 160,000 tonnes of reusable soil. A smaller residual stream still contains too much PFAS for reuse and is therefore sent to an authorised processor. In this way, some of the PFAS is removed from the environment and fewer raw materials are lost.
The soil treatment facility is up and running; the first batch of soil has been remediated and is ready for reuse. This shows that soil containing PFAS does not have to be considered a dead end. Soil that has been in storage for years can now be treated and, to a large extent, reused. This is yet another important step in the reuse of raw materials.
The soil treatment facility was built in collaboration with DEME, a specialist in soil cleaning and remediation, and is supervised by the North Sea Canal Area Environmental Service (Omgevingsdienst Noordzeekanaalgebied). Over the coming years, the facility will be used to treat more than 200,000 tonnes of PFAS-contaminated soil already stored at Schiphol.