Tonnage
200
Material
Contaminated Soils, Hydrocarbon Soil Remediation
Output
Clean sand & aggregates
The Environmental Challenge
Following the 1991 Gulf War, Kuwait's landscape was severely impacted by an extensive environmental disaster. The destruction of approximately 700 oil wells created vast oil lakes and left 26 million cubic meters of soil heavily contaminated with crude oil. This posed a significant long-term threat to the environment, including the precious groundwater resources, and necessitated one of the most extensive remediation programs of its kind.
While a significant portion of the contaminated soil had less than 5% total petroleum hydrocarbon content, a substantial volume had higher levels of contamination, which required a more robust solution than bioremediation alone. A consortium of international partners, including the Kuwaiti EPC contractors KAK-LAMOR JV/C, was tasked with this immense and complex clean-up effort.
The CDE Solution
To address this challenge, CDE, a leader in wet processing solutions, was appointed by KAK-LAMOR JV/C to supply two advanced soil washing plants. These plants, designed to support the remediation efforts in both northern and southern Kuwait, were engineered to handle the highly diverse and varying contaminated material.
The wet processing technology provided a highly efficient solution for soils with greater than 5% contamination, which could not be effectively treated by bioremediation alone. The plants, with a capacity of 50-100 tonnes per hour, process the coarse soil fraction to eliminate contaminants and recover valuable materials, such as washed construction sand and aggregates, for reuse. This approach was part of a comprehensive strategy that included a combination of soil washing and bioremediation to ensure maximum effectiveness.
The plants include a range of our washing and scrubbing equipment, including our AggMax™ logwasher, which begins the liberation process of the contaminated material, the EvoWash™ fine classification sand washing plant, which ensures in-spec washed sand, and the AquaCycle™ thickener, which recycles up to 95% of the processed water back into the system, vital for this water-scarce region. Additional attrition and density separation equipment is also used to provide further liberation of materials within the process.
Results
The implementation of the soil washing plants has proved to be a highly successful and sustainable solution. The facility in northern Kuwait became operational in late 2023, followed by the southern facility in early 2024. The results were impressive; the processed material from both facilities achieved an average clean output of less than 1% contamination. The project's success was not only measured in its environmental impact but also in its contribution to a circular economy. By transforming contaminated land into viable resources, the program created new possibilities for redevelopment and reuse. To date, the project has processed over 8 million tonnes of contaminated soil.
CDE Business Development Director Darren Eastwood stated, "The significance of this project cannot be understated. This program, the largest of its kind, aims to remediate and restore the affected areas, focusing on both environmental and socioeconomic rehabilitation." The project serves as a powerful example of how innovative technology and international cooperation can address even the most challenging environmental disasters.
