The use of mining waste and construction waste for the creation of smart soil: a sustainable approach to mitigate climate change.

• Grant number: 23/16382-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: December 01, 2023
• End date: October 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Tiago Osório Ferreira
• Grantee: Douglas Gomes Viana
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/02429-6 - Iron mining tailings as a soil amendment and in the construction of smart-C soils: smart agriculture against climate change and soil degradation, AP.PFPMCG.R

Abstract

The mining tailings and construction and demolition waste (CDW) have raised significant concerns regarding their adverse impacts on the environment and natural resources. Mining activities have contributed significantly to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, leading to global warming and climate change. Similarly, urbanization and population growth result in a substantial increase in the quantity of CDW generated worldwide. However, iron mining waste (IMW) and construction and demolition waste have the potential to sequester CO2 from the atmosphere, offering a sustainable solution to mitigate climate change. In light of the above, the project aims to use IMW and CDW as source materials to build "smart" soil capable of carbon sequestration in tropical conditions. Additionally, the organo-mineral interactions between Fe, Ca, and SOM that may occur in the Smart-C soil will be studied, along with possible changes in the soil geochemical environment that could contribute to the stabilization of organic matter and soil quality. This research is part of the FAPESP-supported project "Iron mining waste for the development of soil amendments and smart-C soils: intelligent agriculture in the fight against climate change and soil degradation" (Process 2023/02429-6), approved in partnership with international institutions under the PFPMCG - FAPESP Research Program on Global Climate Change.Thus, this study aims to contribute to the United Nations' Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) through intelligent climate agriculture, by increasing carbon stocks in soils. Ultimately, this project seeks to support COP26 and IPCC initiatives in combating climate change, aiming for carbon neutrality and storage.