- Exlterra announced today that radioactive pollution in the soil and air decreased by an average of 37% and 46% respectively one year after the installation of the NSPS (Nucleus Separation Passive System) technology.
- A total remediation of the area is thus seriously conceivable within four years thanks to this revolutionary technology, which is sustainable, without moving earth and without any chemicals.
- This success opens up promising prospects, particularly for the treatment of radioactive waste, in the context of the current energy debate.
Geneva, Switzerland – November 23, 2021 – As they committed to do last April on the occasion of the 35th commemoration of the Chernobyl accident and following the very promising first trends of their collaboration after 7 months of installation, SSE Ecocentre, the Ukrainian state owned specialized enterprise in charge of radiation and environmental monitoring in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, and Exlterra, a Swiss company at the forefront of innovation in sustainable development, today announced spectacular results of the decontamination of a 1 hectare plot of land located in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
Twelve months after its deployment, Exlterra’s NSPS (Nucleus Separation Passive System) technology has reduced the measured radioactivity as follows:
- Soil radiation: average reduction of – 46.6% (Cs137 – Sr90 – Am241)
- Air radiation: average reduction of -37%
This is being demonstrated after Exlterra’s NSPS underground technology was installed on a one-hectare site in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone between November 2019 and September 2020. NSPS significantly accelerates the decay of radioactive elements by harnessing existing energy in the ground in a sustainable process that uses no chemicals or environmentally harmful materials.
“These results are remarkable,” says Sergiy Kireiev, General Director of SSE Ecocentre in Chernobyl. “It is the first time in 35 years that such any technology has succeeded in reducing the level of radioactivity in the soil and air so significantly. This is a real hope for the whole area, including the treatment of the sarcophagus.”
“This 12-month reduction in radioactivity will allow us to bring this parcel back to its original radioactivity level over a 5-year period. We will continue to offer our services to help the Chernobyl exclusion site, including the area around the Nr. 4 plant, and we also want to quickly offer our solution at other problematic sites around the world, including Fukushima in Japan. We can avoid the discharge of radioactive water into the oceans and thus prevent a new ecological catastrophe,” explains Frank Muller, CEO of Exlterra.
Control Methodology
The methodology and the rigorous measurement process were carried out by SSE Ecocenter according to the same parameters (typology, depths, location, instruments) for the first measurements before the installation of NSPS and for the recent measurements, 12 months after.
Radiation levels were measured at distances of 5 cm and 1 meter from the ground, respectively, while soil sampling was performed at a depth of 100 cm below the surface. The following radionuclides were measured in the soil: Cs137; Sr90; Am241.
High velocity particles to annihilate radioactive material
In short, the NSPS technology uses scientific concepts of particle physics and nuclear energy to solve the problem of severe radiation contamination. It leverages in particular high velocity particles, also known as positrons, to direct this naturally occurring force towards radioactive isotopes in the soil and breaks the bonds holding them together. This is done safely under the surface of the soil and no radioactivity is released further into the ground or above the ground in the air. Once the positron comes into contact with the radioactive isotope, it rejoins an electron and annihilates back to its original matter.
“What seemed impossible is now a reality,” says Andrew Niemczyk, President and CTO of Exlterra. “NSPS is an innovation that allows positrons to naturally accelerate in a passive system to remove contaminated areas. It harnesses renewable energy sources present in nature to considerably accelerate the natural decomposition process of contaminants in the soil. That’s what makes this invention unique – it uses natural energies to solve an industrial pollution without resorting to chemical substitutes or soil manipulations.”
A scientific revolution with multiple applications
In addition to treating radioactivity, NSPS technology can also be used to treat other types of soil contamination, including heavy metals and perfluoroalkyl substances, which are highly problematic for the environment.
“We are only at the beginning of the virtuous application of such a technology,” concludes Andrew Niemczyk. As with our other successfully commercialized technologies, we have demonstrated that we can use nature’s resources to heal the wounds we inflict on it. The common denominator of our technologies, installed underground, is the use of natural and renewable forces to achieve tangible results.”
A detailed description of the NSPS technology, its mode of action and its characteristics is available upon request.
About SSE EcoCentre
SSE Ecocentre is a state specialized enterprise of Ukraine responsible for radiation and environmental monitoring in the Exclusion Zone, an area of 2,600 km2 located in Chernobyl, around the failed nuclear reactor. Its General Director is Sergiy Kirieiev, a Ukrainian scientist, author of scientific papers in the fields of radiation monitoring of the environment. Mr. Kirieiev is also Head of the Scientific and Technical Council of the Chernobyl Research Institute.
About Exlterra
Exlterra (Excellence for Earth), a Swiss based company at the forefront of innovation, develops, produces, and commercializes sustainable technological solutions applied to the environment.
Based on the principles of effectiveness, simplicity, and sustainability, Exlterra’s products harness natures’ forces and renewable energy sources to operate and achieve tangible results. They are energy-passive and maintenance free.
Those innovations tackle soil impoverishment (Nutrient Enrichment Passive System – NEPS®), manage stormwater issues (Groundwater Energy Passive System – GEPS) and remediate contaminated soils (Nucleus Separation Passive System – NSPS).
Specifically designed to install its technologies, Exlterra has also developed and produces HAZL® and MAZL, two ultra-light and compact drill rigs.
Since its foundation in 2013 following the meeting of polish born US inventor Andrew Niemczyk and Swiss entrepreneur Frank Muller, Exlterra has been awarded eight patents and successfully installed its technologies on three continents. The company is active on the European, American and Japanese markets.
Exlterra – rebalancing nature to preserve life
About Andrew Niemczyk, President, CTO and Founder of Exlterra
Polish native Andrew Niemczyk’s breakthrough NSPS technology is featured in a new book, “Ground for Freedom: Saving Chernobyl,” available at Amazon as a paperback or eBook. The book by award-winning author and journalist R.J. King details how Niemczyk used 100 percent of his brain’s capacity to develop technologies that safely clean radiation-scarred sites like Chernobyl, transform hydraulic power, boost the nutrition levels of trees, and upend human understanding of physics, energy, nature, and life as we know it. The book is available at www.SavingChernobyl.com.
Media contact :
Christophe Lamps ; cla@dynamicsgroup.ch ; (m) + 41 79 476 26 87