Using electricity to clean up soil

Can electricity be used to clean Norwegian soil contaminated with heavy metals? That is the question being posed by Professor Kåre N. Senneset of NTH's Dept. of Geotechnical Engineering. The process, called electrokinetic remediation, is based on the fact that electric current can move certain types of contaminants through soil. Although not a rapid process (Cleaning a site may take months), this technique is often much cheaper than other methods since the soil can be treated in place without excavating. An initial trial of this technique on Norwegian soil has been conducted using equipment developed by American colleagues at the Louisiana State University (LSU). These tests, conducted at LSU by two Norwegian students, used soil from Røros which is contaminated by heavy metals. The preliminary results are favorable and additional research is beginning at the NTH. The research is supported by the Norwegian company SEP a/s (Solving Environmental Problems), in collaboration with a/s Veidekke. Both companies are interested in developing new remediation technology suitable for Norwegian conditions.