KEASBEY, N.J., Dec. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, a thirteen year Federal and
New Jersey state program made a monumental step forward when BioGenesis
Washing BGW, LLC, began full-scale operations to decontaminate and
beneficially use contaminated dredged material from New York/New Jersey
Harbor. Successful operation of the BioGenesis(SM) washing technology
provides a new, cost-effective alternative to the vexing problem of how to
manage harbor sediments polluted by decades of industrial and urban chemical
waste and stormwater runoff.
About four million cubic yards of sediment must be dredged each year from
the berths and navigation channels in and around the New York/New Jersey
Harbor. Of this amount approximately half cannot be placed in the ocean
because the sediment contains contamination at levels considered too high for
sensitive marine environments. Ocean dumping of contaminated sediment was
banned in 1997, and since then, the polluted sediments have been taken ashore
and used in a variety of ways, including building golf courses and parking
lots, and filling in abandoned mines. Those methods solved the immediate
problem, but their limited capacity will not meet the continuing need for
management options that extends to 2040 and beyond.
BioGenesis(SM) washing technology uses sophisticated soaps, patented
equipment, and 10,000 pounds per square inch water pressure to remove
contaminants from sediments. The pollutants include PCBs, dioxins, heavy
metals like mercury and arsenic, and petroleum related compounds.
Congress recognized the problem as early as 1992, providing funding to
U.S. EPA to develop long term solutions. New Jersey voters approved a
Dredging Bond Act in 1996 that provided funding to test sediment
decontamination technologies on harbor sediments and hopefully bring
operations to commercial viability. BioGenesis washing operations are a
result of these efforts.
"Successful demonstration operations at the BioGenesis plant will solve
the dredged material management problems for two commercial berths in the
harbor. If proven environmentally and economically, BioGenesis(SM) technology
will be an integral part of our long term planning for management of dredged
material throughout Harbor," said Scott Douglas, Dredging Program Manager for
the New Jersey Department of Transportation's Office of Maritime Resources.
Eric Stern, U.S. EPA Regional Contaminated Sediment Program Manager
stated, "BioGenesis operations are the result of coordinated Federal and State
work for over a decade to find a way to treat and use contaminated harbor
sediments. The current full-scale demonstration has national significance,
and is a candidate for use on both federal and state Superfund sites such as
the Lower Passaic River."
The BioGenesis plant is located at the Bayshore Recycling Corporation
facility in Keasbey, NJ. Full-scale demonstration operations will continue
through March 2006.
About BioGenesis Enterprises
BioGenesis Enterprises is a Milwaukee-based, environmental technology
research and development firm that works domestically and internationally to
develop cost-effective, innovative solutions to difficult environmental
problems. For more information about BioGenesis, please visit their Web site:
http://www.biogenesis.com.
CONTACT: Charles Wilde of BioGenesis Enterprises, +1-703-913-9700, or
cwilde@biogenesis.com
SOURCE BioGenesis Enterprises, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.biogenesis.com
CONTACT:
Charles Wilde of BioGenesis Enterprises,
Inc., +1-703-913-9700, or cwilde@biogenesis.com
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