European first in Ghent: Cordeel Group deploys industrial hemp to combat PFAS
Phytoremediation with full reuse as the ultimate goal
Instead of relying on conventional remediation techniques such as excavation and landfilling — where valuable soil is often permanently lost — the partners are opting for an ex situ phytoremediation approach. In this method, 100 m³ of PFAS-contaminated soil is treated in a 100 m² greenhouse. Industrial hemp, a fast-growing and deep-rooting crop, absorbs PFAS, while carefully selected soil additives help mobilize or bind the substances and at the same time enhance soil life and structure.
The greenhouse is equipped with controlled irrigation, temperature, and lighting systems and operates as a fully closed environment. Rainwater is captured and reused, and only the harvested biomass — which contains PFAS — is safely removed. Thanks to these controlled conditions, natural processes are accelerated and the partners can test different scenarios in parallel within two separate compartments. The ultimate objective is to create fully reusable, healthy soil rather than pursuing an end-of-pipe solution that leads to landfill.
Innovation through collaboration
The first sowing took place in the presence of Flemish Minister for the Environment and Agriculture, Jo Brouns. His attendance highlights the societal relevance of this project and confirms the pioneering role that Cordeel Group and its partners are taking in the transition toward sustainable soil remediation.
“This project demonstrates how innovation and collaboration can lead to sustainable and tangible solutions for complex environmental challenges,” says Herman Backaert, Innovation Manager at C-ground. “The closed greenhouse allows us to test PFAS remediation in a controlled, safe, and accelerated manner, with full soil reuse as the ultimate objective.”
Ingmar Nopens, Managing Director at C-biotech, also emphasizes the importance of an integrated approach: “There is no silver bullet solution for PFAS remediation. In addition to in situ techniques, physico-chemical methods for specific hotspots, and phytoremediation for diffuse contamination, an ex situ technique is also required for sites where excavation is the only option. Rather than shifting an end-of-pipe solution that ultimately leads to landfill, we want to create healthy soil that can be reused.”
Maarten Taelemans, Managing Director at OVMB, adds: “PFAS is currently one of the greatest challenges in soil remediation, both in Belgium and abroad. By joining forces with C-ground and C-biotech, we are exploring a sustainable and scalable alternative that offers perspective for future projects.”
Towards scaling up
The greenhouse was constructed in August 2025 and filled with PFAS-contaminated soil in January 2026. If the test results prove positive, the partners intend to further scale up the technique in order to carry out ex situ soil remediation projects on a larger scale.
With this project, Cordeel Group reaffirms its ambition to contribute — through innovation, collaboration, and scientifically grounded solutions — to a circular future in which soil restoration and sustainable development go hand in hand.
