Large scale treatment of contaminated sediments in the Netherlands,the feasibility study

In The Netherlands, contaminated sediments have to be removed from waterways. Environmental policy is directed at treatment of 20% of the contaminated dredged materials, thus generating reusable materials and saving on the required capacity in large scale disposal sites. The huge volume of material that will become available annually, can only he dealt with when treatment will take place on a large scale. A feasibility study was carried out for presenting treatment alternatives and compare these on technical, environmental and organisational aspects, as well as costs and financing. This paper presents the main results of the feasibility study. Three treatment scenarios were developed, each using a different combination of treatment techniques. The treatment scenarios are compared with a reference. It is shown that all treatment scenarios can meet policy goals. Costs for large scale treatment depend on the scenario that will be selected.