From Lab to Field: How Bioaugmentation Transformed Contaminated Soil in the GREENER Project
- Nymphe
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Can soil contaminated with harmful hydrocarbons be effectively cleaned up using nature-based solutions and microbes at real-world scale? The team behind the Horizon 2020 GREENER project set out to find the answer. Following promising results from laboratory and pilot-scale experiments, project partners ACCIONA, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, and Universidad de Burgos launched a full-scale bioremediation trial.
They built two 10-tonne biopiles to test the power of natural attenuation versus enhanced bioremediation using a custom microbial community and vermicompost. Initially planned for just three months, the experiment was extended to a full year thanks to outstanding results — achieving an impressive 70% reduction of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPHs) in the treated biopile. Another great example of how combining science and nature can deliver real, sustainable environmental solutions.
Success Story:
Upscaling of Biopiles with Biostimulation, Bioaugmentation and Control
Short Description:
As the final stage of the Horizon 2020 GREENER project, partners ACCIONA, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, and Universidad de Burgos conducted a real-scale bioremediation experiment. Based on earlier lab and pilot-scale results, two 10-tonne biopiles were built to treat soils contaminated with Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPHs) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs).
One biopile used natural attenuation (control), while the other was enhanced with bioaugmentation (a synthetic microbial community) and vermicompost. Originally planned for three months, the experiment ran for a full year, achieving up to 70% TPH degradation in the treated biopile.
Methods:
Bioaugmentation using a synthetic microbial community, and adding nutrients and vermicompost.
Outcomes:
This experiment was conducted by ACCIONA, the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and the Universidad de Burgos, all partners of the European Horizon 2020 GREENER project. While the experiment has already concluded, all project partners are still working on further developing the results obtained. At this point in time, they can state that the biopile in which the bioaugmentation was applied to has had promising results, achieving a degradation of the TPHs retained in the soil by up to a 70% after 240 days of operation. At the same time, the control biopile recorded a 20% degradation through natural attenuation.
Responsible:
ACCIONA, the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and the Universidad de Burgos, in the frame of the Greener Project (GREENER Project H2020)
Read the full success story below:
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