Geostroy presented innovative water treatment and water management projects at the 11th annual conference “Strategic Infrastructure and Investments. Bulgaria in Connected Europe”, which took place on 29 March 2016 in Sofia.

Mr. Peter Yordanov, head of Health, Safety and Environment and Integrated Management Systems at Geostroy AD, participated with a presentation “Innovation. Good Practices. Environment” in PANEL 2: Environmental Infrastructure - Water and Waste Management. The focus of the presentation was Geostroy’s extensive experience in the construction of treatment plants for potable waters and acid mine effluents. Among the most impressive projects presented at the conference were a modern mine wastewater treatment facility in Ellatzite mine near the town of Etropole and a technology for on-site treatment of heavy metal and metalloid polluted waters on the territory of the former Hydrometallurgical Treatment Plant “Metallurg” near the town of Buhovo. HTP “Metallurg” and its tailings pond had been in operation until the liquidation of uranium extraction in Bulgaria. These two projects were implemented for the first time in Bulgaria by adopting innovative technologies of Mitsubishi Materials Techno Corporation, Japan.

The technology for treatment of wastewater contaminated with heavy metals and metalloids is well known as “Green Rust” and is based on a chemical method. With the application of the Japanese know-how, simultaneous removal of most heavy elements and radionuclides has been achieved in the process of neutralization by sludge circulation. The end product of this chemical reaction is magnetite – a chemically stable solid waste. The results demonstrated that this technology is highly efficient and unique. Besides its application in Japan and Bulgaria, this technology has been tested in only two other places in the world - in uranium mines in Australia and Canada.

Mr. Yordanov emphasized the advantages of these two projects: they require lower operating costs compared to traditional methods of wastewater treatment and significantly reduce the amount of produced waste. With the successful implementation of these and many other projects, Geostroy ranks among the companies which have contributed to achieving a higher level of environmental protection.