The pilot project LIFE AgRemSO3il aims at developing and tuning at farm scale a new technology and its associated techniques for the agrochemical remediation of farm soils by combining solarization and ozonation in situ.
Thus, the innovation involves technological applications (new equipment) and the methods used (advanced oxidation proceses as ozonation and H2O2; or solarization). The project will test and demonstrate the technical, economic, and ecological feasibility of the innovation -without any alternative available in the market- through a prototype in commercial farms at real running scale.
The occurrence of pesticides in soil is a highly significant environmental problem, increased by the vast use of pesticides worldwide and the absence of remediation technologies at full-scale. Many studies on soil contamination in UE find in farm lands persistant pesticide residues, years after their application.
This problem has an international dimession, affects other environmental areas and have a significant impact on the safety of feed and food (the major source of entry of these compounds to food chain is the contaminated soil).
This silent problem is not usualy in the list of environmental concerns despite its impact in the vast global agriculture surface, its respective surrounding environment and the population food safety, maybe because the lack of a current technology available. The project offers the possibility of having at our disposal a new technology providing a solution.
The Agremsoil System is a combination of solarization and ozonation techniques for farm soil remediation and disinfection. Ozonation generates hydroxyl radicals with the help of light radiation to attack and destroy any organic molecules to CO2, H2O and mineral salts. Solarization is based on the placement of a transparent plastic on the floor during the summer months, when temperature and light radiation are more intense.
The project provides a new cost-effective solution for supporting soil functions as part of the wider ecosystem and the impact on food and feed products with their consequent effects on human health, and proposes enabling the integration of environmental objectives in the Common Agriculture Policy, promoting the convergence of Agriculture and Environment EU policies.
LCA and economic assessment will be performed according to the project aim of reaching a wide implementation of the system, including a governance approach related to legal and financial instruments.
