In 1997, after the restructuring of Nitrokémia Vegyipari Rt. by splitting down all still viable chemical production into the newly formed Nitrokémia 2000 Rt while keeping all other properties and problems in Nitrokémia Vegyipari Rt., an initial state program has been accepted in the 2236/1997 Government Decree to assess and resolve the contaminations damaging the environment. The program consisted of the following tasks:
  • The safe disposal of all the hazardous and non-hazardous wastes still stored at the premises.
  • The renovation of the sewage system.
  • The proper disposal of wastes resulting from the cleaning of production lines – that are either already closed or targeted of termination – contaminated by hazardous chemicals, or from the demolition of factory buildings and structures belonging to these lines.
  • The detailed assessment of the contaminated areas and also the remediation of the contaminated soils and ground waters.
The first stage of the environmental remediation concluded in the elimination of the inner waste-water sludge reservoirs containing 22,000 tons of hazardous waste and in lifting the waste dump containing 15,000 tons of incinerator slag at Szentgál. Also the complete overhaul of the sewage system was completed and a new, modern wastewater treatment plant was built.

In the second stage of the remediation – where by the end of 2007 all field-works has been completed – following tasks of the program were completed:
  • The complete abolishment of the ‘alkali chloride plant’ that was using mercury cathode technology. The technology was dismantled, the mercury contaminated buildings were demolished and the mercury contamination in the soil (about 35.000 tons) was lifted, the contaminated areas were replaced with new, clean earth.
  • The complete remediation of the ‘Külső égető’ or Outer outdoor incinerator and waste dump site was completed. In the remediation process two insulated waste depots were constructed according to or exceeding the legislation requirements, where more then 1,000,000 (1 million) tons of hazardous wastes and contaminated soil were accommodated during the project; which during the 50 years of production were dumped at the site without any protection. Later an additional 23,500 tons of contaminated demolition rubble and soil coming from other Nitrokémia sites were placed here as well.
  • The elimination of the outer sludge reservoirs of industrial wastewaters – causing frequent public complaints because of the bad smells – were completed. In this task a total of 391,000 tons of sediment sludge from pre-treatment and its confiding dam structures were placed into an on-site biological treatment matrix permitted by the Environmental Authority.
  • In the remediation process of the Central 1 Plant 74 buildings, 32 structures and 5 tank facilities of solvent and nitrocellulose production technologies were demolished in the public administration area of Balatonfűzfő. Under some of the decommissioned buildings approximately 37,000 tons of buried waste and contaminated soil were found that was transported to hazardous waste depots including the ”Külső égető” dump already referred to.
  • On the cleaned sites ground-water treatment networks were built to extract any residual contaminations. There are 10-24 wells and drainage networks per site working 24/7 for more than 2 year now. All extracted waters are pre-treated at the sites than end-treated centrally in the modernised wastewater treatment plant. The results of the extractions are followed continuously by special monitoring wells analysed for 15-40 contaminating chemical components.
Unfortunately, after the liquidation of the separated Nitrokémia 2000 Rt. new environmental problems were inherited, thus the remediation program continues.
  • The detailed assessment of the organic-chemicals contaminations at the chemical-intermediary and pesticide production sites and mercury contaminations found even under the logistic buildings of the alkali chloride factory are now completed and the intervention plans for the Central 2 Plant are under permitting at the Regional Environmental Authority.
  • The preliminary assessment of the Séd-Nádor canal shows mercury contamination in the sediment for 20-25 km in the bed of the canal under the junction of the Nitrokemia plants. A detailed assessment and remediation plan will be developed and carried out.
  • The groundwater extraction systems will continue to operate probably until 2009-2013, and the monitoring wells will provide data for the next 20 years in the future.
After the remediation program of Nitrokémia Zrt. the resulting clean industrial site provides an opportunity for ‘brown field’ investors to settle new, ecologically friendly technologies.