ReBind is a new remediation technology that its developer, SMR UK, hopes will change how the UK handles brownfield redevelopment by offering a cost-effective, on-site solution for contaminated soil.
The patented binder is said to enable developers to stabilise and reuse up to 100% of contaminated ground, avoiding landfill costs and reducing environmental impact.
With the standard rate of landfill tax having increased to 拢126.15 per tonne last month, combined with disposal fees, removing hazardous soil can reach 拢160 per tonne, an increasingly unviable route for many developments. With shrinking landfill capacity and rising costs, councils and developers are under pressure to find faster, more affordable solutions.
鈥淟andfill tax was meant to encourage more sustainable alternatives, but it has made remediation financially out of reach for many projects,鈥� said Clare Thomas, managing director of SMR UK.
鈥淩eBind offers an immediate, cost-effective option, treating soil on-site, cutting disposal costs, and reducing project timelines by up to 75%. It also reduces the need for importing materials, reducing carbon impact and transport disruption.鈥�
Unlike traditional remediation methods such as lime, ReBind is a lime-free binder that works in all weathers and eliminates delays caused by lime mellowing. It also allows for a change in specification, reducing layer depths compared to traditional excavation and removal approaches. This reduces programme time, while still achieving the necessary load-bearing strength (CBR) for a range of development sites.
ReBind is already in use on live projects. On a large-scale infrastructure scheme in Melton Mowbray, SMR UK worked with MWH Treatment Ltd to stabilise contaminated ground conditions on-site, avoiding the need to remove more than 8,300 square metres of spoil and replace it with imported materials. This eliminated more than 1,300 vehicle movements and saved more than 拢2m in costs while also reducing carbon emissions by 1,272 tonnes of CO鈧俥, it is claimed.
鈥淭hese results clearly show how ReBind can overcome complex ground conditions and help meet strict environmental targets,鈥� said Clare Thomas. 鈥淲e鈥檙e now looking at how the same approach can be applied to residential developments, especially those that have stalled due to the high cost of land remediation.鈥�
SMR UK has previously worked with housing developers, including Vistry Homes, Redrow, Bellway and David Wilson Homes, using its soil stabilisation technology on active sites.
ReBind is designed to treat a range of contaminants found on brownfield sites. These include heavy metals, hydrocarbons (such as petroleum residues and BTEX compounds), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), chlorinated solvents, industrial chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides. It is also effective on more challenging substances, including fluorinated compounds, chlorobenzenes, phenols, nitrates, phosphates, energetics, and multiple forms of asbestos, including chrysotile, amosite, and crocidolite. This extensive treatment range makes ReBind well-suited to sites with complex contamination profiles, SMR UK claims.
With more than 28 million tonnes of soil sent to UK landfills annually, the industry faces growing pressure to move away from dig-and-dump solutions.
Claire Thomas concluded: 鈥淎s local councils work to accelerate brownfield development under government funding schemes, technologies like ReBind could play a pivotal role in unlocking previously unviable sites and delivering new homes faster and more sustainably.鈥�
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