Chinese research institutions and enterprises have jointly developed a new technology that aims at restoring arsenic contaminated soil.
In the smelting process of nonferrous metals, heavy metals including lead, zinc, cadmium and arsenic may be left in various types of solid waste without proper treatment.
In recent years, local arsenic manufacturers have all been shut down, but the waste arsenic residues still existed in mountainsides, mountaintops and gullies, affecting the environment and posing a threat to the health of local residents.
The new technology on the remediation of arsenic contaminated sites on the plateau has recently passed expert evaluation.
Led and developed by the Yunnan Institute of Environmental Science, Kunming University of Science and Technology and Yunnan Investment Ecology, the technology improves the technical system for the collaborative disposal of arsenic-containing waste in cement kilns.
The researchers developed an effective curing and stabilizing repair agent and intelligent remediation equipment, which provides key support for solving the problem of arsenic pollution.
Based on preliminary research, Wenshan started a project on the disposal of eight arsenic slag sites, with a total area of 6,130 cubic meters in May 2018, and has completed its landfill work on May 20.
The project is currently in the final stage of ecological restoration, the local government said, adding that the contaminated soil is undergoing post-restoration treatment and is expected to be completed in early July.
“Now, there’s no need for us to worry about arsenic-contaminated soil,” said Tao.