Iron mining tailings as a soil amendment and in the construction of smart-C soils: smart agriculture against climate change and soil degradation

• Grant number: 23/02429-6
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Regular Grants
• Start date: November 01, 2023
• End date: October 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences
• Principal Investigator: Tiago Osório Ferreira
• Grantee: Tiago Osório Ferreira
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Douglas Gomes Viana ; Francisco Ruiz ; Maurício Roberto Cherubin ; Owen Duckworth ; Xosé Lois Otero Pérez
• Associated research grant(s): 24/09845-8 - Use of iron mine tailings as a soil amendment: effects on sand soils fertility and quality, AP.R SPRINT
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/16382-1 - The use of mining waste and construction waste for the creation of smart soil: a sustainable approach to mitigate climate change., BP.PD

Abstract

Agriculture plays a crucial role in tackling climate change, which is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century. In addition to the climate issue, efficient waste management, in which the urban and mineral sectors play an essential role, will be fundamental in pursuing sustainable development. In this context, this project is based on the hypothesis that it is possible to reuse civil construction waste (CCW), rich in calcium (Ca), and iron mining tailing (IMT) for use in agriculture to combat soil degradation and increase CO2 sequestration. Two work fronts are proposed: The first strategy will evaluate CCW and IMT as soil amendments for sandy soils, aiming to improve their physical, chemical, and biological properties. The second strategy consists of using CCW and IMT as source materials to build "smart" soils capable of storing large amounts of carbon (Climate-smart soils). In addition, the organo-mineral interactions between Fe, Ca, and SOM that may occur in Climate-smart soils will be studied, as well as possible changes in the soil geochemical environment that may contribute to the stabilization of organic matter and soil quality. This study aims to contribute to the restoration decade, defined by the UN (2021-2030), through climate-smart agriculture, increase the C stock, and reduce erosion in sandy soils. Ultimately, this project aims to contribute to the COP26 and IPCC initiatives to combat climate change, seeking the neutrality and storage of C. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SILVA, BEATRIZ MARCHESE; QUEIROZ, HERMANO MELO; FERREIRA, AMANDA DUIM; RUIZ, FRANCISCO; FERREIRA, TIAGO OSORIO. Technosols Made from Iron Mine Tailings and Construction and Demolition Waste as an Alternative for Sustainable Solid Waste Management. LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT, v. N/A, p. 10-pg., 2024-10-26. (23/02429-6, 21/10573-4)