HERMES Project, funded by the European LIFE Programme

HERMES Project, funded by the European LIFE Programme

General overview:

Mercury (Hg) is a natural element of the Earth that has been extracted and used by humans for thousands of years due to its unique properties. However, in recent decades the risks it poses to human health and the environment have been fully recognised, leading to the development of international, European, and national regulations.

The LIFE HERMES project will demonstrate an innovative solution with high potential for the remediation of mercury-contaminated soils at two sites: the Cerco de Almadenejos (CDA) in Spain, associated with the largest mercury mine in the world, and the Abbadia San Salvatore mine (ABSS) in Italy, another major historical centre of liquid mercury production.

The in situ chemical stabilisation solution proposed by LIFE HERMES is minimally invasive, more cost-effective than traditional methods, and reduces the risk of contaminant dispersion by avoiding excavation and transport of contaminated materials. In addition, it ensures long-term stability by transforming Hg into a less mobile form, adaptable to the specific environmental conditions of each site.

The project will be implemented at the CDA (27,000 m²) and ABSS (1,000 m²) sites. It will establish a new remediation procedure, revegetate the affected areas, and promote new land uses through the involvement of local communities, thereby restoring the historical value of both sites. The results will be replicated at two additional sites in Spain and Slovenia.

The IGeA-UCLM team is responsible for the environmental monitoring of biota. For this purpose, analytical monitoring of Hg concentrations will be carried out in plants and aquatic organisms in the surroundings of the intervention area, the CDA site.

At the beginning of the project, an initial sampling campaign was conducted to establish a baseline for the current environmental status of the area. In spring 2026, a second sampling campaign is planned in order to monitor seasonal variations in environmental Hg concentrations.

General objective

To validate the use of Hidramag® as a cost-effective, safe, and efficient solution for the treatment of mercury-contaminated soils.

Specific objectives:

1. Environmental:

   • Reduction of soil contamination
   • Reduction of water contamination
   • Reduction of mercury dispersion into the air
   • Improvement of the quality of surrounding water bodies
   • Ensuring the reuse of waste generated in the MAGNA industrial process
     
     

2. Social and economic:

   • Provide decision-makers and regulatory bodies with new scientific evidence and objectives for inclusion in future soil remediation protocols
   • Preservation of cultural heritage assets at the Cerco de Almadenejos
   • Improve the social perception of Cerco de Almadenejos and Abbadia San Salvatore 
   • Promote tourism at both sites
     
     

3. Exploitation:

   • Development of a business plan to define the commercialization strategy for Hidramag®.
     
     

4. Replication:

   • Replicate the project results in two additional locations. 
     
     

Kick-off Meeting

Held at the Mercury Technology Centre in Almadén, with the participation of representatives from all partner institutions: 

• Minas de Almadén y Arrayanes S.A.  ( MAYASA )
• Magnesitas de Navarra ( TERRESIS MAGNA )
• University of Barcelona ( DIOPMA-UB )
• University of Castilla-La Mancha ( IGeA-UCLM )
• Unione dei Comuni Amiata Val d'Orcia and Universidad de Florencia (Italy)
• Eurovertice
  
  

Featured IGeA publication related to the HERMES project

The results of the HERMES project build on previous research carried out by IGeA-UCLM. One such study, recently published, validates the use of the red swamp crayfish as a key bioindicator for monitoring mercury contamination in mining-affected rivers: 

Evaluation of the new role of the invasive species Procambarus clarkii as an environmental indicator in polluted watersheds

This work evaluates the potential role of Procambarus clarkii as a bioindicator of mining-related contamination processes. Unlike previous studies, which often focus on snapshot assessments of contamination levels, the approach adopted here integrates historical data and continuous monitoring programmes to provide a dynamic perspective on the impact of Hg and other metals on both biotic and abiotic media over an extended period. A total of 330 crayfish specimens were collected from 10 sampling stations in the Valdeazogues River, grouped by size classes, and analysed for Hg, Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, As and Sb in abdominal muscle and hepatopancreas, together with a complete characterization of sediments and the aquatic environment.

The results obtained from the crayfish show that the hepatopancreas and muscle tissues present the highest average contents of Zn (1,325 and 377 mg kg⁻¹, respectively) and Cu (1,297 and 179 mg kg⁻¹, respectively). Hg levels were higher in muscle (1.6 mg kg⁻¹) than in the hepatopancreas (1.0 mg kg⁻¹), with all muscle samples exceeding the maximum permissible level established by the European Union for food consumption (0.5 mg kg⁻¹). The sensitivity of P. clarkii proved sufficient to identify different sources of Hg, Pb and Zn contamination within the drainage system, as well as agricultural sources of Cd downstream of the mining district. This versatility makes the species a potentially valuable tool for application in large mining areas of southern Iberian Peninsula, particularly throughout the Iberian Pyrite Belt.

Source: Evaluation of the new role of the invasive species (Procambarus clarkii) as an environmental indicator in polluted watersheds