Constructed wetlands and agromining: synergy for obtaining nickel bio-ore

• Grant number: 22/12475-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: August 01, 2023
• End date: February 29, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences
• Principal Investigator: Tiago Osório Ferreira
• Grantee: Yuri Fernando Parra Castilho
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The development of new technologies, urban sprawl and rising global purchasing power are accompanied by growth in demand for commodities, especially metals. As a result of the extraction and processing of ores, their waste represents an environmental liability that can change the natural concentration and bioavailability of several chemical elements on earth's surface, potentially reaching toxic levels for various forms of life. Advances in agromining show an increasingly viable alternative for the - economic - reuse of mining residues and soils naturally enriched or contaminated by metals. This project proposes the application of agromining techniques on nickel mining residues, using: i) sequential extraction method to evaluate the fractions of Ni in the growth medium; ii) Cultivation of T. dominguenses for the extraction and incorporation of metals in a constructed wetland environment; iii) Use of assisted remediation as a way to increase the bioavailability of metals; iv) chemical analysis to quantify metal concentration in roots and leaves; v) recovery of Ni from plant biomass through beneficiation processes. (AU)