Bioremediation

Soil and water contamination by heavy metals and radionuclides (HM/R) is a major concern in many parts of the world, affecting the health of local populations, the use of natural resources and the environmental equilibrium. Furthermore, moderately contaminated areas, as well as bare substrates and waste piles, provide surfaces susceptible to erosion by wind and precipitation, leading to the spread of contaminants into the environment.

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) as part of the decommissioning of nuclear facilities, field studies on bioremediation strategies are being conducted on moderately HM/R-contaminated substrates at the Gessenwiese and Kanigsberg test sites in the former uranium mining area of Ronneburg (Eastern Thuringia).

In close cooperation with the Institute of Microbiology (Prof. Kothe), the research focuses on the application of heavy metal landfarming for sustainable land management and the production of lignocellulose on HM/R-contaminated sites. This is achieved by  a) reducing the bioavailability of HM/R through carbonate soil amendments (rendzina) and microbiological additives (VA mycorrhiza Rhizophagus irregularis, actinobacteria Streptomyces mirabilis P16-B1) as well as b) the production of biomass for thermal or material use via metal-tolerant trees in short-rotation plantations. The use of fast-growing plants (e.g., birch, willow, alder, pine) is expected to yield positive effects in terms of biodiversity and erosion control.

Associated: Prof. Dr. Thorsten Schäfer, Prof. Erika Kothe, Dr. Sarah Nettemann

Caroline Pukallus, Markus Riefenstahl, Dietrich Berger

Projects: MykoBEst

Completed Projects: USER II, USER I, KOBIOGEO, RENA