Antwerp firefighters will use hemp to decontaminate soil.
The use of industrial hemp as a phytoremediant is already a proven method in Belgium and is recognized as a cost-effective way to clean up contaminated soils. If the pilot project in Lillo is successful , the disinfection mechanism using industrial hemp can be used throughout the country.
The
editors of the specialized electronic publication of national hemp growers have
already focused the attention of our respected readers and listeners on “ How
hemp is used to clean up contaminated soil in Belgium ,” it was
described that “ PFAS-contaminated
soil was successfully cleaned up using YCO 31. ” It is not
surprising that the next use of the hemp plant as a phytoremediant could not
pass beyond our sight.
Emergency
services in Antwerp have initiated a pilot project to use industrial hemp to
naturally clean up soils contaminated with PFAS. It represents a collaboration
between Ghent University University ) and a fire station in the Antwerp port
village of Lillo . The soil at this site has historically been contaminated
with PFAS from firefighting foam and needs to be cleaned up before construction
of a new fire station on the same site.
“Not
only is hemp beneficial to our circular economy, but it also has the potential
to extract PFAS from contaminated soils. Research in this area therefore
deserves our full support , ” says Antwerp mayor and head of emergency services
Bart De Wevere .
Cannabis
plants are capable of extracting significant amounts of PFAS from the ground,
storing the contaminants in their leaves. When harvesting, the “contaminated”
and “clean” parts of the plant can be separated. Those containing PFAS are
destroyed, and the rest of the plant can still be used as raw material.
Commentary
from specialists of the Association “Ukrainian Industrial Hemp”
The use of industrial hemp as a phytoremediant is already a proven method in Belgium and is recognized as a cost-effective way to clean up contaminated soils. If the pilot project in Lillo is successful , the disinfection mechanism using industrial hemp can be used throughout the country.
