the toxic truth - Greenpeace

148 Amnesty internAtionAl And greenpeAce netherlAnds
Chapter 12
Biodegradation
Doubts have been expressed by
experts as to the suitability of the technique
of biodegradation for cleaning up
the dumping sites near Djibi village. 653
Biodegradation, or land farming, is
generally achieved by inserting oxygen
into the affected soil. Oxygen is
needed for the aerobic deconstruction
of chemical substances. However, with
this technique, mercaptans and other
volatile substances can easily escape.
In addition, this technique uses microorganisms,
which generally do not function
well under conditions with a high
pH. This may be the case for the deeper
parts of the affected soil near Djibi. For
this technique to be used appropriately,
the affected soil would need to be
made more acidic (to lower the pH).
Apart from doubts about the
suitability of biodegradation as a
cleaning method, there are also other
concerns, which relate to the ongoing
environment in which people from
Djibi village must live. People remain
concerned about the safety of soil
exposed to Probo Koala waste, even
after bioremediation. Given the scale
of the health effects in the aftermath
of the dumping and the fact that there
has never been a complete disclosure
of the content of the waste, the fears
about working with waste-affected soil
are understandable.
locations at d’Alépé, which had found ongoing impacts related
to the waste dumping, most notably bad smells. 646 This was the
same site that Tredi had earlier identified as requiring further
decontamination.
Burgéap recommended biodegradation to treat dumping
points along the Route d’Alépé, which meant treating the
waste on site, rather than removing it. This was different
from the process proposed by Tredi, which was to remove the
contaminated soil from the area. 647 A Canadian company,
Biogénie, was then contracted to carry out the on-site
biodegradation process. 648
Canadian company, Biogénie, was contracted to carry out the on-site
biodegradation process. © AmNESty iNtErNAtioNAL
In April 2008, approximately seven months after the start of the
Biogénie biodegradation process at d’Alépé, Trafigura stated
that it was agreed by all parties that only a limited amount of
additional decontamination work was required. According to
Trafigura “a thorough risk analysis has already been carried out,
together with the majority of agreed remediation operations”. 649
On 4 April 2008, under an endorsement to the original settlement,
Trafigura paid an additional sum of CFA10 billion (approximately
US$24 million) 650 to the government of Côte d’Ivoire. 651 Of
this, CFA1.5 billion (US$3.6 million) was to cover the cost of
operations to be carried out by private Côte d’Ivoire companies
to remove polluted material, CFA1.5 billion was to pay the cost
of biological treatment of the polluted land by the Canadian
company Biogénie, and CFA2 billion (US$5 million) represented
the cost of environmental monitoring over a four-year period.