XRF research

Soil emergency locations

Within the framework of the ´Convenant bodemontwikkeling en aanpak spoedlocaties (Agreement on soil development and handling of soil emergency locations)´ the Province of Groningen is in the process of identifying the soil emergency locations in the province. Using a handheld XRF
(X-ray fluorescence) Medusa has mapped the concentration of heavy metals at 13 locations in the province of Groningen. The handheld XRF is able to measure the concentration of heavy metals in the soil in mg/kg on the spot. It is an easy to handle, flexible apparatus that can gather a lot of measurements at a location with only minimum disturbance for residents. This technique can be applied within the framework of the new NTA 5755 ‘Strategie voor het uitvoeren van nader bodemonderzoek (Strategie for performing further soil research)' and is listed in www.bodemrichtlijn.nl .

 

Results

In this research the emphasis was put on the quality of the research and of the gathered data.
The Province of Groningen was enthusiastic about the conducted research and has obtained field covering, detailed information on the type, dispersal and level of contamination of the soil at the investigated private properties in a fast and efficient way. Based on the results the Province of Groningen can decide ‘most likely a soil emergency yes or no'.