The Sustainable Comprehensive Anti-Contamination Treatment project for the creation of Green Rail Corridors, RECOVER, encompassed in the Sustainable, Intelligent and Integrated Transport Challenge, within the Scientific Priority VI. Development of new technologies aimed at reducing the environmental impact of transport systems and means, as well as noise and environmental pollution, aims to design Sustainable Comprehensive Anti-pollution Treatment with modified ballast for the elimination of heavy metals and hydrocarbons and phytoremediation and bio-increase treatment for adjacent soils. The Sustainable Comprehensive Anti-Contamination Treatment for the creation of Green Rail Corridors has as its main market the railway sector. In fact, the Spanish Railway Technology Platform has shown its interest and support for the project, since our system coincides with the scientific and technological priorities of the Spanish railway sector. The Sustainable Comprehensive Anti-Contamination Treatment for the creation of Green Rail Corridors presents the following technological innovations: 1. Development of modified sol-gel coating ballast with compounds capable of absorbing and retaining non-selectively heavy metals or with photocatalytic TiO2 allowing the degradation of hydrocarbons 2. Development of modified ballast by ionically printed polymer fixation (IIP) for selective absorption of metals. Modified ballasts will contribute to the elimination of heavy metal contamination through selective absorption and retention techniques 3. Application of phytoremediation and biogrowth of microbial population in the soils of railway tracks as means of decontamination. 4. Development of new evaluation techniques that will serve for the certification of new products. The consortium consists of COMSA, a large company, which constitutes the second unlisted Spanish group in the infrastructure and engineering sector, by CETIM, a private R & D & I centre in 4 areas: Advanced materials, Environment, Health and Industrial Development and by the LEITAT Technology Center of whose areas we highlight Advanced Materials, Environmental & Bio Technologies and Sustainability. The potential patents related to this project that could be obtained are in relation to (1) the design of the different sol-gel coatings to be applied on the ballast, (2) the decontamination verification tests (for future use in certification), (3) the combined application of phytoremediation with bio-increase strategies and (4) the possible applications for contaminated modified ballast at the end of its useful life. COMSA has a wide portfolio of new construction contracts, renovation works and maintenance of railway track throughout the national territory in which the treatments developed in the RECOVER project can be applied. In terms of increasing success in tenders, COMSA hopes to obtain important returns thanks to the inclusion of these technological developments in its tender proposals. The expected impact in terms of increase in turnover is 235 million euros, with an overall increase in the success rate, of 17 % of the total volume tendered.
