Project summary
Phytomining offers the possibility of targeted recovery of high-value metals from low-value ores exploiting natural processes in plants. The knowledge gained in the Bio-Ore and Mine Plant projects were expanded in the LIFE-AGROMINE project, and the ecological and socioeconomic feasibility of the phytomining cycle was demonstrated. Functional agro-ecosystems were implemented into a phytomining framework and implemented at a pilot scale: 1) on ultramafic agricultural land, 2) in ultramafic quarries, and 3) on technosols from industrial waste.
Implementation was demonstrated on degraded land and on industrial waste repositories in Greece, Albania, Spain, and Austria.
LIFE-AGROMINE demonstrated the complete phytomining cycle on a pilot scale, from plant cultivation to the recovery of valuable nickel salts and the production of bioenergy. The project offered a new approach to dealing with nickel-contaminated sites and industrial waste.
Project management
Université de Lorraine, Frankreich
Project partners
Agro-Environment and Economic Management Center, Albanien
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Österreich
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas , Spanien
Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Institute of Technology, Griechenland
Microhumus SARL, Frankreich
Universiteit Hasselt, Belgien
alchemia-nova GmbH, Österreich
Projektstatus
Start 07/2016, Duration 48 months
Life Environment 2015 – LIFE15 ENV/FR/000512
Project costs: € 2 730 456,00
EU payment: € 1 582 800,00
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Download the layman’s report:
laymans_agromine_AL
