RESEARCH in the North-East is playing a crucial role in developing technology to restore industrial brownfield sites for commercial development.

A partnership between Premier Waste Management, of Durham, the County Durham Environmental Trust (CDENT) and Newcastle and Durham universities is investigating ways to use a compost-type soil conditioner made from everyday waste.

If successful, the peat-like conditioner could be used for landfill restoration, brownfield redevelopment, synthetic soil production, road embankments and tree planting, and has significant commercial applications for Premier.

The County Durham Municipal Solid Waste Aerobic Digester, at Thornley, was set up to reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfill, and is researching new processes using the waste from Easington district dustbins.

Using a combination of heat produced naturally by the composting process and moisture, the plant is capable of transforming more than 8,000 tonnes of household rubbish a year into compost and other byproducts.

Up to 50 per cent of the resulting material is soil conditioner, and research into its uses began when the plant started operating in January 2002.

Newcastle University researchers, who worked on test pots at a site in Willington, County Durham, discovered that the conditioner allowed a 21 per cent increase in natural growth of grass and vegetation.

The research was held up by the foot-and-mouth crisis because regulations strictly governed anyone dealing in natural waste, but now it is back on schedule.

Two Durham University researchers, part-funded by CDENT, are investigating the chemistry, and Newcastle University researchers are developing techniques to blend the conditioner with materials such as aggregates.

Malcolm Johnson, technical director at Premier Waste Management, said: "The tests showed that the conditioner can be very effective. We have a great understanding of this now and will be able to say to the landowner, 'what do you need?' and come up with a specific solution for that specific site. It increases the options."

The £1.7m plant is owned and managed by CDAD, a subsidiary of the County Durham Environmental Trust, and operated under contract by Premier Waste Management, which manages the treatment and disposal of household waste in County Durham, Darlington, South Tyneside and Sunderland.

Funded by CDENT through the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme and the Legacy Fund, the digester was the first plant of its type to meet all the criteria outlined by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in the Animal By-Products Regulations.

That meant it was granted a licence to process catering waste and category three wastes, primarily household waste and out-of-date food products, and in January was identified by Defra as an example of national best practice.

Now plant staff are starting the next stage of research using machinery which started operating last month.

Published: 03/02/2004