In the pioneering days of chemical production, nobody was aware of the dangers posed by certain chemicals and that these could persist for extended periods in the ground without undergoing degradation. To remediate this legacy contamination, which in the past caused chemicals to get into the groundwater, WACKER has been extracting air from the soil of the Burghausen plant since 1989. This predominantly involves extracting readily volatile halogenated hydrocarbons from the soil and incinerating them to render them harmless.

WACKER has reported on the progress of this remediation since 1989 in its environmental and sustainability reports. Overall, by the end of 2005, 1,784 tonnes of chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHCs) had been disposed of. The quantity of contaminants removed has declined steadily over the years despite the fact that the equipment has continually been modernized. Consequently, in 2005, only 30 tonnes were removed.

The groundwater now contains only traces of pollutants. We monitor our progress by analyzing hundreds of groundwater samples from around the site every year.