Non-glyphosate vegetation control and decontamination of railway ballast, soil and groundwater from organic pollutants and glyphosate leftovers

Short summary A Swiss SME active in the field of environmental technologies offers a physicochemical solution for rapid and efficient non-glyphosate vegetation control on train tracks, highways, parking areas, oil and gas pipes, and various infrastructures. The SME is looking for partners/representatives for license, joint venture, commercial or technical cooperation agreements.

Full description Train tracks, highways, parking areas, oil and gas pipes, and various infrastructures must be vegetation-free for safety and operational requirements. The standard market solution to prevent and treat vegetation on railway tracks is the use of soil herbicides and leaf herbicides. The leading market solution is glyphosate-based materials. However, this solution is expensive, complicated, polluting soil and groundwater, and not allowed anymore in part of the EU countries and probably will be forbidden in two-three years in all the EU territories and the UK. Therefore, new, fast, environmentally friendly, and efficient non-glyphosate material is in great need. The Swiss startup company offers a vegetation control solution based on an environmentally friendly mixture of inorganic salts that generates concentrated (non-glyphosate) herbicide absorbing water from the plants and drying the plant, including the roots (without changing the salinity of the soil). The solution can be applied with the standard market manual and automatic mechanical tools (as used for glyphosate-based materials). This environmentally friendly process is efficient for many weeds, including glyphosate-resistant plants, and cost-effective. The process with a solid visual effect that can be achieved on the same day of application (not after several days as it was for glyphosate-based materials.) The processes are patented and granted. Different partners and authorities from Italy, Austria, and the UK independently approved the process's technological stability, efficiency, and environmental impacts. Moreover, the technology can be combined with in-situ ballast washing, subsoil, and groundwater treatment. With this holistic solution, it is possible to treat railway ballast without excavation, provide vegetation control, and decontaminate soil and groundwater from hydrocarbons and herbicide leftovers (with a conversion of up to 99%). This is the only solution that can deal with all these problems simultaneously and without removing and replacing the stones. The technology can be applied in the market of vegetation control, railway, and infrastructure maintenance. The Swiss company is looking for companies active in railway maintenance, vegetation control, soil treatment, groundwater treatment as well as environmental engineering offices for license, joint venture, commercial or technical cooperation agreement.

Advantages and innovations

• Efficient non-glyphosate-based vegetation control
• Efficient for glyphosate-resistant plants
• The active solution adapted to the existing equipment for railway maintenance and vegetation control
• Rapid process (results on the same day)
• Cost-effective
• Environmentally friendly
• Robust and can operate over a range of environmental conditions
• Forgiving and manifests minor sensitivity to operating conditions
• Can potentially treat three problems of the railway maintenance market at the same time: stones, vegetation control, subsoil, and groundwater decontamination

Contact / source: NEXT EEN Widgets (europa.eu)