LIFE SEDREMED is an EU-funded project for the development of an innovative solution to decontaminate polluted marine sites.
The project intends to demonstrate the efficiency of a methodology based on bioremediation and electro-kinetics for the decontamination of coastal marine sediments. The project partners will develop a prototype for the application of microorganisms within the sediments and increase their bioremediation capacities thanks to the transmission of electric current, initially at laboratory-scale and then scaled-up on-site.
The intervention will aim at reducing the concentration of organic contaminants (such as PAHs, PCBs, PCDDs) and the bioavailability of heavy metals like Pb, Hg, Cd, Cu, Zn and As. The project will showcase a new approach to avoid environmental risks and reduce financial costs incurred in dredging activities and ex-situ treatment of contaminated sediments.
Bagnoli (Naples, IT) is one of the areas identified at high risk of environmental crisis in Italy and it has been included in the list of polluted Sites of National interest (SIN) (Law 388/ 2000). The industrial site, now dismissed since the 1990s, was characterised by the presence of steel industry, asbestos processing, fertilizer
The Bagnoli-Coroglio bay represents an ideal context to test the in-situ efficiency of innovative bioremediation technologies. The project will provide new solutions that can be applied on a larger scale for the sustainable management of contaminated marine sediments across Europe.
Contaminated sediments in the surroundings of industrial areas are characterized by the presence of a variety of chemical compounds, typically represented by persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including aliphatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and non-organic
The severe environmental contamination of coastlines also contribute to the economic abandonment of the adjacent neighbourhoods and land. In Bagnoli this aspect is particularly visible since the persistent contamination is still nowadays preventing its requalification, with a high impact on the socio-economic development of this district.
LIFE SEDREMED will advance the implemention of sediment management guidelines and quality assessment as defined in relatively recent legislation DM 172/2016 and DM 173/2016. These two laws were approved to complement DGLS 152/2006 (Italy’s Environmental Code), DM 56/2009 (Environmnetal Quality Standards), and
LIFE SEDREMED will develop and test an innovative remediation strategy in an area that urgently needs action for the remediation of its marine environment. The coastal contaminated area (highlighted in yellow) is characterised by the presence of organic and inorganic contaminants in the sediments.
The elimination and/or the isolation of this contamination is crucial for the redevelopment of socio-economic activities. The former industrial complex, and in particular the steelworks that have been closed since 1990, provided the past thousands of jobs that now have totally disappeared.
It is thus vital to provide the territory with long-term environmental results so that local communities can relaunch alternative economic activities linked to the full potential of their land.
LIFE SEDREMED partnership is composed of a multidisciplinary and inter-sectoral group of 7 partners from 4 EU countries. The project is coordinated by the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn and parterns with the Site Manager, Invitalia, along with two technology providers from Belgium and Finland, 2 academic monitoring partners and 1 startup that manages the dissemination and communication aspects of the project.
In this section, you will be able to access all news, events, the video gallery and the press kit.
All the deliverables and results of the project are available to the public in our library section. The documents can be downloaded and include the technical description of the technologies, the strategic communication plan, the project management activities, the scientific publications produced and the remediation results obtained.
The LIFE SEDREMED project is co-funded by the LIFE Programme of the European Union under contract number LIFE20 ENV/IT/000572.
The LIFE programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment and climate action. Since 1992, it has co-financed more than 5.500 projects including 120 projects for the protection, remediation and restoration of the marine environment. The LIFE programme represents a key instrument for the implementation of the EU Green Deal.
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Bagnoli (Naples, IT) is one of the areas identified at high risk of environmental crisis in Italy and it has been included in the list of polluted Sites of National interest (SIN) (Law 388/ 2000). The industrial site, now dismissed since the 1990s, was characterised by the presence of steel industry, asbestos processing, fertilizer and concrete production.
Knowledge on benchmark contamination is well developed and a complete characterization of the contamination in this area is available thanks to ISPRA (BoI-Pr-CA-BA-relazione-02.04) and to the ABBACO project recently concluded in 2020. The ABBACO project was led by Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN) and Università Politecnica delle Marche (UNIVPM), respectively the coordinator and partner of LIFE SEDREMED.
Bagnoli’s sediments contamination is characterised by high levels of: aliphatic hydrocarbons including PAHs (up to 2800 mg/Kg); PCBs (ranging from 25 to 155 ug/kg); PCDDs (up to 316 ng/kg); and heavy metals such as As (845 mg/kg) and Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu and Hg. These values dangerously exceed the limits set by the Italian law DM 56/09 and contribute to the non-compliance with the environmental status required by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) and the Environmental Quality Standard Directive (2008/105/EC).
The site’s contamination has a particularly high impact on human health and socio-economic development as it is located in the peri-urban area of the city of Naples and on the coastline. The coast hosts a number of mussel cultivations and fisheries, in addition to summer bathing activity, thus contaminants bioaccumulation can potentially pose threats to human health. To conclude it is important to specify that certain heavy metals concentrations, and in particular Arsenic (As), are influenced by the volcanic activity characterising the area and thus relevant proportion can be considered of natural geogenic origin.
The Bagnoli-Coroglio bay represents an ideal context to test the in-situ efficiency of innovative bioremediation technologies. The project will provide new solutions that can be applied on a larger scale for the sustainable management of contaminated marine sediments across Europe.
The project proposes the installation of an electro-kinetic system (EKOGRID technology) and the application of biofixed microorganisms (IDRABEL technology) to run enhanced bioremediation of contaminated sediments. An innovative and up-to-date monitoring methodology will complement the solution to investigate the efficiency of the remediation technologies and their effect on the local biodiversity. If successful, both the remediation and monitoring methodology will be integrated in the full decontamination plan of Bagnoli’s sediments.
The project also foresees the establishment of the Mediterranean Remediation Knowledge and Innovation hub (MEDREHUB) that will be operated in Bagnoli to foster further research on environmental bioremediation technologies.
Contaminated sediments in the surroundings of industrial areas are characterised by the presence of a variety of chemical compounds, typically represented by persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including aliphatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and non-organic pollutants such as heavy metals/metalloids.
Such compounds, in addition to causing disruption in the ecological and environmental status, may have detrimental effects on wildlife and human health, including endocrine and metabolic disorders, teratogenesis, carcinogenesis, immunodeficiency, reproduction impairment and behavioural alterations. In the Pozzuoli Gulf, where the LIFE SEDREMED demonstration site is located, several mussel cultivations and fishery activities are present. Therefore, the potential bioaccumulation of contaminants in the food chain is a risk that must be taken into consideration.
The Bagnoli coastline is also subject to bathing activity by local residents who, despite the interdictions set by the municipality, swim in the contaminated area, particularly during summertime. Thus, the potential resuspension of contaminants from sediments poses a great risk for human health through ingestion or contact with the skin during beach activities.
The severe environmental contamination of coastlines also contributes to the economic disarray of surrounding areas. This aspect is particularly visible since the persistent contamination is preventing the redevelopment of Bagnoli, with a high impact on the socio-economic wellbeing of this district. In turn, the socio-economic failure of Bagnoli has a negative effect on the whole city of Naples, as it represents the only potential coastline for the development of tourism.
This missed opportunity is particularly visible in the light of the unique natural landscape of the area and its strategic position. In fact, the Bagnoli-Coroglio coastline (circa 3 Km) is the only remaining sand beach in the city of Naples. It is located close to the touristic coastline of Posillipo and Marechiaro on the west side, and, on the east side, with Pozzuoli and the marine archaeological park of Baia. Additionally, Bagnoli could host touristic facilities and transportation connectivity for the increasing touristic flow from land towards the Islands of Ischia, Procida and Capri, fostering indirect employment in the services sector.
Another important aspect to consider is the value of the real estate as this is a crucial point for the future redevelopment of the Bagnoli area. If the decontamination of the coastline is completed, the economic value of real estate could increase exponentially, and thus benefit historic residents of the district.
LIFE SEDREMED will advance the implementation of sediment management guidelines and quality assessment as defined in relatively recent national Italian legislation (DM 172/2016 and DM 173/2016). These two laws were approved to complement DGLS 152/2006 (Italy’s Environmental Code), and DM 56/2009 (Environmental Quality Standards), and to fill the gaps that originated from the absence of sediment-specific EU legislation, national legislation specific to Sites of National Interest and the lack of legislation for characterisation and final disposal of dredged sediments.
The Environmental Quality Standards directive and the Italian law fail to provide extensive sediment-specific pollutants concentrations limits. The project is the opportunity, through the activity of MEDREHUB, to present the innovative Italian legislation to other Member States (MSs) and foster replication across the EU.
This project intends to promote a dialogue with other MSs and the European Commission to develop a Union-wide strategy for the classification and management of contaminated sediments. It will also focus on stressing the importance of integrating in-situ approaches, especially where mechanical dredging is not strictly necessary for removing physical boundaries. There is an urgent need for an EU strategy that defines Sediment Quality Guidelines and management plans as directed by the Italian DM 173/2016 and in the US legislation (SQGs and EPA ECOTOX toolbox).
LIFE SEDREMED will foster the debate for the development of an EU strategy for decontamination of marine sediments and set continent-wide guidelines for their quality assessment based on the innovative Italian laws.
Additionally, at the moment, the limits of water quality for bathing conditions only take into account biological parameters linked to the presence of faecal bacterias. It is thus necessary, in the case of coastlines with past industrial activities, to insert in the analysis also the contaminants deriving from industrial processing such as persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals. A specific dissemination event organised with Invitalia will be dedicated to this topic.