Research & Development

Remediation underpinned by good science

QDS, as a technological market leader amongst remediation service providers, is committed to investing time and money to the ongoing research and development of new technologies that provide QDS with better tools to tackle the complex myriad of problems that brownfield regeneration presents.  An example of this commitment is the QDS In House laboratory, set up in 1997, which is devoted to the development of remediation technologies and to optimisation of ongoing remediation projects. Through this in-depth assessment of emerging technologies by feasibility studies with respect to performance, cost and time, QDS is able to remain at the cutting edge of remediation technology.

An example of how this gives QDS a unique competitive advantage in the marketplace, is research into the increasing problem of residual DNAPL impact at sites. At present, the options available to deal with residual DNAPL impact at depth on sites is limited both as a result of the nature of the contaminant and due to the problems of unwanted mobilisation that some technologies, i.e. steam, can create. QDS, through an extensive laboratory test programme followed by full-scale application, have developed the technology of Surfactant Flushing to be able to both solubilise DNAPL to allow abstraction within groundwater (up to 4 orders of magnitude increase in dissolve phase concentrations have been achieved), and also to increase the mobility of the DNAPL, whilst controlling the DNAPL properties to prevent unwanted downward migration into deeper sensitive groundwater zones.

In addition, through research into the use of advanced catalysts for oxidation of organic contaminants, QDS can now offer UV Photocatalytic Reactors, as an alternative to Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filtration, in response to the increasing cost and environmental pressures associated with using GAC. This technology was also developed in the QDS laboratory over a period of 2 years prior to application on site.

Other technologies that have been further developed and tested within the QDS laboratory over the previous 12 months include:

·         Electrochemical separation.

·         Application of modified Vegetable Oils and Emulsified Vegetable Oils (EVOs).

·         Testing various Zero Valent Iron (ZVI) products to allow site optimisation.

·         Testing stabilising additives to improve the applicability of Fenton’s Oxidation.

·         Development of a range of advanced field screening methods to allow rapid assessment of site conditions during a remediation project.

·         In-situ Thermal Conductive Heater testing to allow site application for increased DNAPL recovery.