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Market of Demining

1. Potential and request of demining

It is estimated, that worldwide in over 64 countries between 80 and 100 million land mines and similar munitions of war remain. Every year there are between 5200 known victims (most recent Landmine Monitor 2008) and an unknown large number of unreported cases can not be determined by several international organizations. (Source: ICBL, Landmine)

The expenditure for the clearance of land mines between 1992-2008 together were U.S. $ 4.27 billion. In 2008 total spent worldwide by international and national sources were 626 Million U.S. $ on mine clearance. (Source: ICBL)

For example, still not less than 1755 square kilometers in Bosnia are contaminated with about 220,000 mines. There 900,000 people must live with the risk of explosion. Overall there have been 486 people had been killed there since 1996 to 2008 and 1181 had been injured. If the demining operations can be continued as planned, Bosnia should be mine-free in ten years. Every year about 40 million € will be issued. (Source: ICBL)

In 2008-2009 approximately 160 square kilometers of mined areas (this is the area of Brussels) cleared. The source "Landmine Monitor" does not state, whether or not this is suspected mine areas or minefields. An estimate on the ICBL of the size of all minefields in the world itself remains vague just under 10,000 square km. (Source: ICBL)

From 1999 to 2009 along 1.100 km² of mined areas further 2.100 km² combat zones, an area that is twice as large as London, cleared in more than 90 countries. Thereby more than 2.2 million AP and 250.000 AV mines were cleared. (Source: ICBL)

The investigation of mine clearance UN sub-organization GICHD on machine tools for mine clearance states a large and untapped potential for the use of stand-alone machines as an alternative to the manual deminers in huge areas for the, according to other sources, estimated 10.000 manual deminers. (Source: GICHD)

Accident-prone and costly manual clearance misses the Ottawa Agreement target and violates against all common safety and accident prevention regulations. The cost-benefit ratio and the risk factor is prohibitive on the long run and make mechanical mine clearance mandatory. In addition, all states have great need of rehabilitation, possible to reforest large areas of population back and return to civilian use. Another requirement is the area of plantation and agriculture, the construction area clearing and the preparation of traffic areas or power lines and pipeline routes, as well as opening up areas to exploitation and reconstruction.

The special opportunity of safe, fast and cost-efficient Krohn-System in demining is the fact that simultaneously to the mine clearance the other mentioned functions are fulfilled.

Thus huge markets are open up worldwide.

2. Applicability of machines in mine clearance

In view of limited resources demining course primarily useful areas. Almost all the available areas are clearable mechanically. The repeatedly defend of manual demining, that many areas are not reachable by the machine, is meaningless; at first hand it is useful to clear large areas and not small-scale exceptions. The use of the machine is ideal, where a subsequent agricultural use is provided, because the machines leave the ground recultivated. But also other use benefits from the loose soil and vegetation-free soil.

3. Competition in clearance

Currently beside the KMMCS there is no other mechanical mine clearance system in the world which works stand alone, because of full size area internal quality control can waiver of manual deminers or minedogs behind the machine and therefor exeeds UN-standard in efficiency. It has passed official tests with 100% success and already proven clearance quality at more than 454 hectares.

By that 2 principle methodes are available:

• Stand Alone proven mechanical demining by KMMCS and
• accident-prone and inefficient manual deming

Each of the methodes follows its own adapted procedures, fitting by its own characteristics, written down in their own SOP.

By the performance-based fixed price per acre with fixed clearance quality and accountability on the full size of area by the independent inspectors KMMCS can offer first time for the clients a cost-effective and reliable alternative to manual demining.

Land mine clearance is an international market with customers from the military governments and the UN, other government agencies and the humanitarian Non-governmental organizations NGOs. So there is a limited number of widely-known competitors. The peak position of the KMMCS about the safety and Speed incl. price / performance relation is known internationally.

Further applications of the mills

Further applications of the machines are recultivation of forests, forest fire prevention, forest fire control, agriculture and plantations with renewal cycle, the construction site area clearance, exploited in the preparation of traffic or power lines and pipeline routes, as well as development and reconstruction of areas such as clearance of desert areas and karst areas.

Restauration of forest areas

Harvested areas or forests after forest fires should be recultivated.

There is a great economic potential in this field of work.

Prevention of forest fires

Forests, brushwood and grass is shreddered and completelly processed into the forest soil.
The global demand for this is in time of increasingly occurring forest fires is extremely high.

Forestal fire fighteing

For fires at large scales, as in the U.S., Australia, Spain, France or Greece an embankment with machine is much easier, because these are huge areas and aid workers and firefighters generally work mostly with pick and shovel. The Krohn tiller could revolutionize the field of forest fire fighting.

Proof of concept was a milling action by company Krohn, as at a large-scale fire at an area on the Polish border at village Weisswasser the machine milled a path of 60 m width into the fire zone, thus effectively preventing the spread of the flames. That was faster than with conventional means would ever had been possible.

Reclamation of desert and karst areas

This could be achieved inter alia by large quantities of contaminated sewage sludge (layer 20 to 30 cm thick) are milled about a meter deep. This creates a fertile substrate surface with a simultaneous reduction of heavy metal and pollutant concentration. Then immediate planting without any problem is possible. Also this was demonstrated in practice by a study of the Technical University of Berlin and the Humboldt-Unversity Berlin. In addition to this there is a corresponding report of Professor of the University Benecke, Göttingen.

Both the study and the report are based on large scale test in the highly with heavy metals contaminated soil from sewage-fields around Berlin. A layer of overburden from the Berlin Subway construction was applied to the contaminated areas. After milled in 1998 by Krohn tiller at14 ha it has become flourishing landscapes.

Plantation renewal

Over-aged plantations are usually burned down. With Krohn´s tiller the old stocks can be milled quickly and conveniently into the ground. Valuable biomass is thus maintained and is supplied into the soil again. The fertility of the machine processed soil is much greater than that of the conventional burn-down methode.

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KMMCS - Maschinelle Minenräumung und Bodensanierung
(KMMCS - Mechanical Mine Clearance and Soil Rehabilitation)
Tobias Steidle
Am Ehrenhain 2
D-38678 Clausthal
Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 5323 92 21 55
Fax: +49 (0) 5323 92 21 56
Mobil: +49 (0) 170 9988 170
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