Contaminated paint in Bittenbrunn

Location: Bittenbrunn, Bavaria, Germany

Started, finished: 2022

Grafenrheinfeld office and weir remediation

Our Grafenrheinfeld office, led by Site Manager Dirk Lesker, has been specializing in weir remediation for a decade. Dirk has become an expert in removing contaminated paint, a common issue with weirs that have been in service for over 25-30 years.

 

Project inspection and contamination definition

Each project begins with an inspection to identify the type of contamination, which often involves substances like PAHs, asbestos, or lead. The necessary removal and subsequent coating steps are carefully documented and must be approved by the relevant authorities.

Case study: Bittenbrunn and working in black areas

In Bittenbrunn, the contaminated old coating was first blasted in the black area, removing the coating from a total of 1,200 square meters. After this area was measured, a new coating was applied. Working in black areas requires adherence to specific protocols, including maintaining a constant negative pressure and ensuring an air exchange rate of 8 times the room volume.

 

Cleaning the work area and clearance measurement

After the work is completed, the area undergoes both coarse and fine cleaning. An accredited laboratory then performs a clearance measurement of the work area using a suction system with a gold filter. The system measures in 2 different areas for about 8 hours. The gold filter is then analysed under a scanning electron microscope to ensure that the proportion of residual fibres does not exceed 10,000 fibres per m3.

 

Transition to white area

If the clearance measurement results are satisfactory, the black area can be removed and officially released for recoating, transitioning to a “white area”. This marks the completion of the remediation process.