Ecologia Cleans Up At Innovation Awards

The groundbreaking work of Ecologia, an environmental consultancy and contractor based at Kent Science Park, near Sittingbourne, has won the ‘most innovative’ category at the Brownfield Briefing Remediation Innovation Awards for its radiowave technology developed and piloted in Kent.

The award recognised the development of Ecologia’s decontamination technique, which uses its patented Radio Frequency technology to extract volatile chemicals from contaminated land without the cost of removing the soil to landfill.

Giacomo Maini, Managing Director of Ecologia, said: “Winning the award is great news for the business and we are confident it will help us to win contracts to clean up hundreds of disused petrol stations across the country. Once cleaned these sites, many of which are prime locations, can be profitably redeveloped.

“By treating the contamination on site, rather than effectively sweeping the problem under the carpet by removing the contaminated soil and transporting it to a hazardous waste landfill site, the process is environmentally sustainable.”

The technology enables the whole process to be completed in only three months which is much quicker than other commercially available in-situ techniques and creates a clean site for future development or sale. The technology is also commercially competitive compared to the traditional method of removal and transportation due to the recent increases in landfill tax and haulage costs.

The award’s ceremony was hosted by Naomi Cleaver, the presenter of popular prime-time television series Grand Designs Trade Secrets and Britain’s Best Home.