Final Report Summary - MICCS-DEMO (Demonstration of Methodology for fast and reliable Investigation and Characterization of Contaminated Sites)
Executive Summary:
Soil contamination is a growing problem globally, threatening human and ecological health, also being expensive to investigate and rectify. A previous EU-funded project (MICCS, 2008–2011) developed a faster and cheaper in situ investigation system, using novel drilling-probe technology, chemical sensors and ground-penetrating radar.
The MICCS device did not achieve market readiness, so the EU funded the (MICCS-DEMO) project to complete the work. The new five-member consortium ran for two years to the end of July 2014, and aimed to conduct a full-scale demonstration of the MICCS system. The key market barrier for the project was regulatory acceptance. Gaining that was the focus for demonstrating the system's performance under different geological or pollutant conditions.
Work began with confirmation that the chemical probe met the required standard. It turned out that certain electronics and seals could not resist sonic vibrations as expected, requiring a redesign. While not costly, the changes did result in a significant delay for the project. Full testing of other components had to wait for manufacture and testing of the redesigned probe.
Project staff met with German companies and authorities interested in the system. Demonstration tests were arranged, confirming ongoing market interest in the project. The team also created and submitted dissemination and exploitation plans for the expected results.
The revised MICCS system will mean soil contamination assessment that is 30 % faster and 20 % cheaper, while also being more accurate and comprehensive. This will yield improved competitiveness of the project's small business customers, savings for Europe, more effective decontamination and a cleaner environment.
Project Context and Objectives:
Soil contamination is an increasing worldwide problem, which poses severe threats to ecosys-tems and human health. Therefore, many resources are used for investigating contaminated sites, limiting the damage from pollution and cleaning polluted soil and groundwater.
The MICCS project (project no. 222204 co-funded by the EU through the 2007 Research for SME Call) has led to the development of an advanced in-situ soil investigation method for identi-fying and characterizing pollution, which is 30% faster and thus reduces the cost for site inves-tigation by 20% compared with conventional methods. This has been achieved by integrating a novel drilling probe technology with dedicated selective and very sensitive volatile organic com-ponents sensors (Triple sensor system), combining this with improved ground penetrating radar methods (GPR).
After successful completion of MICCS, a number of remaining and real market barriers faced the consortium. The objective of MICCS-DEMO was therefore to carry out a targeted full-scale demonstration of the MICCS technology. In addition to that, the project have performed site investigations under different conditions with regard to geography, geologies, and pollutants. The results obtained, are compared with data obtained from representative samples analyzed by conventional methods.
The MICCS-DEMO demonstration was needed to ensure documentation and to gain regulatory acceptance of the new MICCS technology. This is a crucial demand from the end-users within the soil investigation and remediation industry, which otherwise are highly reluctant to introduce new equipment, in particular, due to the need for regulatory acceptance of the methods under-taken. Essentially, regulatory acceptance is a key market barrier to be overcome by the pro-ject, given the fact that regulators issue necessary site approvals, which are thus important for market uptake of the MICCS technology.
Further to the practical demonstrations, the project shall ensure that market exploitation studies and dissemination of the MICCS technology is done successfully, including detailed market strat-egy and business plan for the envisaged market, other possible mainstream markets for both the integrated MICCS technology and the systems key technologies.
It is part of the project to create knowledge of its benefits among the public authorities suscep-tible for employing new and more efficient methods for investigation and characterization of contaminated sites, thus reducing the risk for potential harmful effects on humans or the envi-ronment in general. It is further an objective to create knowledge of the project and its EU funding in the public emphasizing its contribution to the quality of life.
The partners have to ensure IPR protection of the MICCS System and core technologies and reach agreement among the project partners with respect to their mutual rights and responsibil-ities in exploiting and disseminating the MICCS system
As part of the exploitation, an international market survey is performed in order to determine the market potential of the MICCS system and deliver input to the marketing planning process. In addition to addressing the potential for the MICCS DEMO produce, the analysis should address business opportunities for MICCS in industries outside the soil re-mediating industry, as well as it should address business opportunities in developing additional sensors.
Further to the demonstrations and the market study, a detailed business plan for the market introduction of the MICCS in-situ soil investigation system are developed. The plan should identi-fy obstacles and business opportunities through a SWOT analysis, and it should develop a busi-ness model acceptable to all consortium participants.
Project Results:
The current project is a demonstration project. In principle, no foreground is created within the project. The foreground of the MICCS project no. 222204 are used as background for the MICCS Demo project.
Potential Impact:
The potential impacts are described in an attached file 'potential impacts.pdf'
List of Websites:
The website address for the project is www.miccs.eu
All contact regarding the project can be addressed to the coordinator,:
Jørgen Mølgaard Christensen,
DGE A/S, Jelshøjvænget 11,
8720 Højbjerg,
Denmark.
Telephone +4540251550
Email: jmc@dge.dk
Soil contamination is a growing problem globally, threatening human and ecological health, also being expensive to investigate and rectify. A previous EU-funded project (MICCS, 2008–2011) developed a faster and cheaper in situ investigation system, using novel drilling-probe technology, chemical sensors and ground-penetrating radar.
The MICCS device did not achieve market readiness, so the EU funded the (MICCS-DEMO) project to complete the work. The new five-member consortium ran for two years to the end of July 2014, and aimed to conduct a full-scale demonstration of the MICCS system. The key market barrier for the project was regulatory acceptance. Gaining that was the focus for demonstrating the system's performance under different geological or pollutant conditions.
Work began with confirmation that the chemical probe met the required standard. It turned out that certain electronics and seals could not resist sonic vibrations as expected, requiring a redesign. While not costly, the changes did result in a significant delay for the project. Full testing of other components had to wait for manufacture and testing of the redesigned probe.
Project staff met with German companies and authorities interested in the system. Demonstration tests were arranged, confirming ongoing market interest in the project. The team also created and submitted dissemination and exploitation plans for the expected results.
The revised MICCS system will mean soil contamination assessment that is 30 % faster and 20 % cheaper, while also being more accurate and comprehensive. This will yield improved competitiveness of the project's small business customers, savings for Europe, more effective decontamination and a cleaner environment.
Project Context and Objectives:
Soil contamination is an increasing worldwide problem, which poses severe threats to ecosys-tems and human health. Therefore, many resources are used for investigating contaminated sites, limiting the damage from pollution and cleaning polluted soil and groundwater.
The MICCS project (project no. 222204 co-funded by the EU through the 2007 Research for SME Call) has led to the development of an advanced in-situ soil investigation method for identi-fying and characterizing pollution, which is 30% faster and thus reduces the cost for site inves-tigation by 20% compared with conventional methods. This has been achieved by integrating a novel drilling probe technology with dedicated selective and very sensitive volatile organic com-ponents sensors (Triple sensor system), combining this with improved ground penetrating radar methods (GPR).
After successful completion of MICCS, a number of remaining and real market barriers faced the consortium. The objective of MICCS-DEMO was therefore to carry out a targeted full-scale demonstration of the MICCS technology. In addition to that, the project have performed site investigations under different conditions with regard to geography, geologies, and pollutants. The results obtained, are compared with data obtained from representative samples analyzed by conventional methods.
The MICCS-DEMO demonstration was needed to ensure documentation and to gain regulatory acceptance of the new MICCS technology. This is a crucial demand from the end-users within the soil investigation and remediation industry, which otherwise are highly reluctant to introduce new equipment, in particular, due to the need for regulatory acceptance of the methods under-taken. Essentially, regulatory acceptance is a key market barrier to be overcome by the pro-ject, given the fact that regulators issue necessary site approvals, which are thus important for market uptake of the MICCS technology.
Further to the practical demonstrations, the project shall ensure that market exploitation studies and dissemination of the MICCS technology is done successfully, including detailed market strat-egy and business plan for the envisaged market, other possible mainstream markets for both the integrated MICCS technology and the systems key technologies.
It is part of the project to create knowledge of its benefits among the public authorities suscep-tible for employing new and more efficient methods for investigation and characterization of contaminated sites, thus reducing the risk for potential harmful effects on humans or the envi-ronment in general. It is further an objective to create knowledge of the project and its EU funding in the public emphasizing its contribution to the quality of life.
The partners have to ensure IPR protection of the MICCS System and core technologies and reach agreement among the project partners with respect to their mutual rights and responsibil-ities in exploiting and disseminating the MICCS system
As part of the exploitation, an international market survey is performed in order to determine the market potential of the MICCS system and deliver input to the marketing planning process. In addition to addressing the potential for the MICCS DEMO produce, the analysis should address business opportunities for MICCS in industries outside the soil re-mediating industry, as well as it should address business opportunities in developing additional sensors.
Further to the demonstrations and the market study, a detailed business plan for the market introduction of the MICCS in-situ soil investigation system are developed. The plan should identi-fy obstacles and business opportunities through a SWOT analysis, and it should develop a busi-ness model acceptable to all consortium participants.
Project Results:
The current project is a demonstration project. In principle, no foreground is created within the project. The foreground of the MICCS project no. 222204 are used as background for the MICCS Demo project.
Potential Impact:
The potential impacts are described in an attached file 'potential impacts.pdf'
List of Websites:
The website address for the project is www.miccs.eu
All contact regarding the project can be addressed to the coordinator,:
Jørgen Mølgaard Christensen,
DGE A/S, Jelshøjvænget 11,
8720 Højbjerg,
Denmark.
Telephone +4540251550
Email: jmc@dge.dk
