Remediation in Millers Point Gasworks in Barangaroo

REMEDIATION IN MILLERS POINT GASWORKS IN BARANGAROO 1
REMEDIATION IN MILLERS POINT GASWORKS IN BARANGAROO
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Executive summary
Remediation is very vital for any project fault or error that still poses severe risks to
inhabitants of an area. Barangaroo formerly a large industrial site was the home of millers point
gasworks which largely contaminated the site. These contaminations are still causing detriment
despite the decommissioning of the gasworks in 1921 (Be et al., 2013). This report will aim at
remediating the aftermaths of the contamination to improve the safety of the public. It will entail
research on the levels of pollution, the aspects of contamination, health risks posed and the
possible remediation. It is very crucial for engineers and other stakeholders to ensure
environmental safety and health of the inhabitants.
Introduction
The old Millers Point Gasworks is the second oldest company in Australia operating
centuries ago to provide light using coal gas. Primarily, this light was used to light up the streets
of Sydney with the rest of the people using oil lamps before the onset of electricity. Coal was
carbonized in the vertical retorts to obtain coal gas which was then piped to the purifiers to
remove the impurities. The company was well set with coal storage tanks over and under the
ground to ensure sufficient storage for the coal shipped in using ferries and barges. In 1921 the
company was decommissioned and its operations seized after a devastating plague befell Sydney
(Montoya, 2015). By 1925 all its above-ground structures had been removed. However, certain
underground gasworks structures were left behind: gas holders and tanks cut in the sandstone and
containing coal tar.
Before the commencement of the site's remediation, there were around 150,000 cubic
meters of contaminated fill material underneath Block Four and Block Five that included
contaminated soils and massive deposits of coal tar (Haege & Leake, 2014). Barangaroo has

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grown to be a large tourist center in Australia exposing tourists to more dangers of pollution.
Negotiations are still ongoing on the dire need of decontaminating the underneath materials from
the toxic chemicals considered carcinogenic to humans and hazardous to the aquatic ecosystems.
In line with substantial development advocated by UNEP, environmental pollution and
degradation is a major concern. Pollutants such as coal can contaminate the soil for decades; the
major remediation process would be removing all traits of coal in the soil (Davies, 2010).
Literature review
Underneath coal tanks have created a great number of risks and menaces jeopardizing the
ecosystem all over the world. Many modern technologies are currently being used to clean the
metal contaminated soils at the global level. However, there are no universally accepted
techniques as a paramount choice; this is because they either offer an impermanent solution or
are unfeasible when applied in large scale. One technique used to remove metals from the
contaminated soils is phytoremediation. This is a biological technique involving use of plants
/crops to degrade, reduce and immobilize pollutants. It is hailed since it is cost effective and non-
invasive. The technique was adopted in the bauxite mine rehabilitation in Australia using the
eucalyptus tetradonta forest at Gove and E. marginata forest at Boddington (Ansari, 2016).
Water is also subject to coal pollution through acid mines drainage, acid rain, and
groundwater contamination. Acid mine drainage refers to the flow of acidic water from coal
mines often abandoned ones. A reaction of pyrite with water forms sulphuric acid. Water from
the rain washes the compound in the mines discharging in the nearest streams and rivers.
According to Tenenbaum, sulfate-reducing bioreactor technique may be used to reduce the
effects of coal on water (2014). The method involves reducing the sulfate ions into sulfide ions
which dissolves heavy metals present in the water. However, this method is gradual and not fully

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effective for large scale polluted water. The Barangaroo Delivery Authority ( the organization
tasked with the remediation task) proposed sealing the contaminated area with concrete to
contain the water within a bathtub-like structure and pumping it away for treatment.
According to enormous research, the coal burning by-products including fly ash, flue gas-
sludge and bottom ash contains mercury and uranium which have severe effects on human
health. Barangaroo being a former coal industrial powerhouse contains many coal-burning
byproducts which expose endangers the ecosystem (Hughes, 2018). A redevelopment program
involving several apartments and a hotel was scheduled to be raised. However, the remediation
process is derailing their establishments. According to humanitarian agencies in Australia, a man
in Barangaroo complained of headaches later succumbing to these pains. After several tests, the
brain was seen to be heavily affected by mercury; this leading to his death (Barangaroo delivery
authority et al., 2011).
Research objectives and goals
To stop the rampant ecosystem pollution persistently affecting Barangaroo, remediation
of millers point gasworks is fundamental. The overall aim of this project is to curb the extensive
threats posed to tourists and residents by the coal tanks left in the area. To perform the
decontamination process, the level of contamination, areas most affected by the contamination
and the possible ways to rehabilitate the contamination must be determined and established
(Davis, 2011). The object of this report is to determine the extent of pollution due to
underground coal tanks and ways to rectify the pollution. The project will hence involve
numerous surveys in the area to assess the extent of damage and the amount of effort and
resources required for remediation.