We showed the Sustainable World program our project – the largest currently underway – to recover these lands that will be delivered to the community.
Heavy metals are one of the biggest soil contaminants. These include cadmium and lead, present in the environment, and which can affect some biological processes because they are not degradable, in addition to contamination due to dispersion, spillage or transfer of dangerous substances.
Fortunately, at Hidronor we work towards environmental sustainability and the reduction of climate change by reducing the carbon footprint through our remediation and sanitation services for contaminated land. Together with a team from the Sustainable World program we went to the Antofagasta to Bolivia Railway (FCAB) facilities to, precisely, remediate more than 48 hectares of its land.
More than 90 years of pollution
En el lugar, Tatiana Rodríguez, jefa de Medioambiente y Remediación FCAB, explicó que en 1904, se inició un tratado de libre comercio con Bolivia para transportar los concentrados de minerales de plomo y zinc hasta el año 1998. “En esa oportunidad, FCAB no solamente transportó estos metales, sino que también los almacenó dentro de sus patios, por lo tanto, hay una historia de más de 90 años de contaminación de estos concentrados, época donde no había una normativa ambiental estricta y referente como la tenemos ahora”.
In this regard, Juan Andrés Salamanca, Commercial Manager of Hidronor, said that “this is an emblematic project both for the city of Antofagasta and nationally, since here we are remediating more than 48 hectares, which is equivalent to 450 thousand tons of contaminated soil, which is equivalent to around 48 soccer fields.”
Final process
This material is extracted and taken by land to our Antofagasta Plant, where the final process is carried out. Samuel Tupuro, jefe de esta planta, explicó que “los residuos se llevan hasta nuestra planta, se hacen análisis, y en función de eso hay residuos que, por su caracterización, son tratados, y, en otros casos, son dispuestos en el security deposit que está debidamente autorizado”.
At Hidronor we deliver the land in optimal conditions for the subsequent use of the community!
