For a cleaner Mediterranean by the year 2020
This initiative is funded by the European Commission through DG EuropeAid.

Rehabilitation of soils from industrial pollution: Horizon 2020 addresses a Mediterranean urgency

on 13 Oct 2014.

Industrial operations have produced many environmentally hazardous sites throughout the Mediterranean region, which pose substantial health and other risks to both humans and ecosystems, affecting all aspects of sustainable development. To address this reality the EU funded Mediterranean Environment Programme organized a sub-regional training course in Algiers (24-25 September, 2014) dedicated to the rehabilitation of soils from industrial pollution with emphasis on highly toxic pollutants such as PCBs, mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb).

Algeria soil group

Industrial operations have produced many environmentally hazardous sites throughout the Mediterranean region, which pose substantial health and other risks to both humans and ecosystems, affecting all aspects of sustainable development.

To address this reality the EU funded Mediterranean Environment Programme organized a sub-regional training course in Algiers (24-25 September, 2014) dedicated to the rehabilitation of soils from industrial pollution with emphasis on highly toxic pollutants such as PCBs, mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb). More than 40 professionals from Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia were trained on the various strategies and processes that are used to purify and revitalize soils that have been contaminated by polluting anthropogenic activities. They were from Ministries of Environment, Industry, Health, and other sub-national bodies responsible for industrial pollution issues. A few industries and NGOs had the opportunity to benefit from the training as well.

This EU funded sub-regional training was organized in support of the objectives of the Horizon 2020 Initiative to depollute the Mediterranean by 2020 by the University of Athens and the Austrian Environment Agency with the support of Mediterranean Action Plan of UNEP. The Director General of the Ministry of Environment of Algeria, Mr. Tolba also contributed to the meeting as did Ms. Favret of the EU Delegation to Algeria.

Some of the most common sources of soil contamination are industrial and mining activities, including big chemical/petrochemical industries, e.g. crude oil refineries, metallurgies; large combustion plants including sites used to store wastes, raw material, etc.; dumping sites, old landfills, etc.; and major transport infrastructures (airports, ports, etc.).

A variety of soil treatment and decontamination strategies, processes and techniques were presented through applied examples and case studies including the application of fluids, biological agents (employing bacteria or plants), heat, vacuum, pressurized gases and mechanical agitation frequently combined with chemical oxidation of organic contaminants.

Algeria soil training

The Horizon2020 Initiative

Reaching its closing in 2020, the key achievements of the Initiative include: more investments, strengthened policy and legal frameworks as well as capacities to implement them, improved information and knowledge, enhanced education and awareness, higher priority of pollution reduction and prevention on national, regional and global political agendas (vs depollution) and contribution to setting the path towards green economy in the region.

The Mediterranean Sea is the largest of the semi – enclosed European seas, surrounded by 21 countries that share a coastline of 46,000 km. The region is home to around 480 million people and the environmental challenges it faces are significant. Back in 2006, the ‘Horizon 2020 Initiative’ was launched inviting all committed stakeholders to join efforts in substantially reducing pollution in the Mediterranean by the year 2020 by tackling the sources of pollution that are said to account for around 80% of the overall pollution of the Mediterranean Sea: municipal waste, urban waste water and industrial pollution.

Achievements

Investment projects

more than 1.4 billion eur mobilised

People trained

more than 5000 people trained

Common indicators to monitor progress

11 macro-indicators

Final Report of the Horizon 2020 Initiative for a Cleaner Mediterranean: 14 years of Mediterranean Cooperation on Environment

Moving forward with 2030GreenerMed

Taking note of the lessons learned from H2020, a follow-up agenda entitled “Towards 2030: Agenda for a Greener Med – Contributing to Achieving the Environmental SDGs in the Mediterranean” (2030GreenerMed) has been formulated by the UfM. This new agenda will be dedicated to support the urgently needed transition to a more sustainable, green and circular economy in the Mediterranean.

Horizon 2020 Initiative for a Cleaner Mediterranean by year 2020 HD 

Published in 2014 the Horizon 2020 video outlines the efforts and results of the Initiative in different parts of the Mediterranean. Video playtime is 48 minutes and 11 seconds and is available in HD format for high quality viewing. The video can also be found on youtube at https://youtu.be/YTaNbpRerpE

Events