Partners of the ARAGORN project convened in Nancy for their latest periodic meeting, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange crucial to the project’s success. The meeting was succesfully organized and hosted by Microhumus. Representatives from all companies and universities involved in ARAGORN provided updates on their work, highlighting significant advancements and discussing the challenges encountered in their work.

The meeting featured dynamic discussions and round tables on a range of relevant topics, including innovative remediation techniques, project management strategies, and future research directions. These sessions allowed partners to share their experiences, insights, and best practices, ensuring a cohesive and informed approach to the project’s objectives.

Part of the meeting was dedicated to discuss the development and implementation of the RA, SEA, and remediation add-on, focusing on how to best support site owners in decision-making. The session began with an exploration of optimizing these tools, followed by an update on prioritized contaminants and how sites are determined,  including site-specific information on risk assessments before and after remediation.

The meeting also delved into the experimental setup of remediation tests, aiming to fill knowledge gaps and advance our technology on the Technology Readiness Level scale. Emphasis was placed on the quantitative resilience modeling framework, detailing the steps performed by the difefrent parners involved.  Additionally, partners were invited to explore how to define ecological indicators and incorporate experimental data and expert knowledge into the framework.

To foster collaboration, the session featured a mixed videoconference and face-to-face panel with representatives from various sites, facilitating direct interaction with site owners. This approach ensured their insights were integrated into our project planning.

A key highlight of the meeting was the on-field session, which included a site visit to the contaminated site in Homecourt. During the visit, participants observed practical demonstrations of sampling techniques, gaining firsthand understanding of the procedures and technologies used in the field.

Partners had the chance to witness different kinds of sampling demonstrations: soil sampling and homogenization, creation of a composite sample, bulk density measurements, soil sampling for eDNA,
as well as observing how to sample spiders and earthworms.  Besides, experts from different partner organizations shared their expertise, explaining the methodologies and interventions employed to address contamination issues effectively.

This hands-on experience provided invaluable context, enhancing the partners’ comprehension of the practical aspects of the project. It also facilitated the exchange of technical knowledge, promoting a deeper collaboration among the participants.

The ARAGORN project continues to make significant strides in addressing and remediating environmental contamination. The periodic meetings play a crucial role in uniting the efforts and expertise of the partners, driving the project towards its goals with a collective and informed approach.

From April 22nd to 24th, 2024, in Stockholm, at the premises of Karolinska University, the EU project ‘Partnership for Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC)’ hosted a meeting, gathering over 1000 participants.  Attendees discussed pressing issues regarding chemical pollution, revealing that it contributes to approximately 25% of stress on European rivers. Talks focused on risk assessment and regulation strategies for chemical mixtures, as well as the organization of data within the EU Common Data Platform, with hopes that the PARC initiative will influence decisions on its development.

Particularly notable were discussions related to soil projects like TerraChem, alongside the PARC biodiversity group, which is addressing chemical risks to terrestrial organisms. The event also facilitated networking opportunities, sparking discussions on setting administrative limit values for PFAS total in surface waters and soil, aiming to balance scientific insights with practical implementation in a world already facing pollution challenges.

SETAC is the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry based in Seville, Spain, dedicated to advancing environmental science and science-informed decision-making through collaboration, and organizer of the annual SETAC conference.

Partners of ARAGORN will be present at the conference on May 8th, starting from 9.30, to present the project with a poster in the framework of Session 6.03.P – Combining Prospective and Retrospective Soil Risk Assessment – From Predicted Risks Towards Holistic Approaches by Integrating Monitoring Results.

This is a powerful opportunity for ARAGORN to promote its objectives and propose Achieving Remediation And Governing Restoration of contaminated soils Now. ARAGORN will present its framework starting from the identification of contaminated sites and introducing a decision-making tree to identify remediation and restoration strategies, all of this under the umbrella of EU Soil Mission Strategy.

The conference has a very rich programme and will host several panels focused on how to integrate science and policy for environmental challenges.  Topics will cover environmental and human toxicology, exposure assessment analysis, human health risks, LCA and environmental policy, which are all topics also strictly related to ARAGORN.

ARAGORN welcomed a delegation from Japan comprising experts on PFAS contamination and representatives from the Japanese Ministry of Environment and ACG, a PFAS producer,

The visit aimed to foster knowledge exchange on European approaches to monitoring, remediating, and communicating risks associated with PFAS-contaminated soil sites. With Japan facing significant challenges concerning PFAS contamination in military and industrial areas, the delegation expressed keen interest in learning from European practices.

Discussions highlighted key areas of collaboration, including mapping polluted sites and drawing parallels for analysis strategies for combined sets of methods, group methods and suspect screening methods.

Participants also had the opportunity to observe and discuss instrumentation and acquisition methods for suspect screening at Örebro, gaining valuable insights into cutting-edge techniques in PFAS detection and analysis.

As part of the visit, delegates toured the hazardous waste facility at FORTUM, where discussions centered on the removal of PFAS and other contaminants from process water. The group explored potential emissions from destruction and remediation sites, underscoring the project’s commitment to addressing environmental challenges comprehensively.

ARAGORN remains dedicated to international collaboration and knowledge sharing to tackle PFAS pollution effectively. The visit marks a significant step forward fostering global partnerships and advancing solutions for environmental sustainability.