MykoBEst

Influence of the mycorrhizosphere of trees on soil development and erosion reduction of uranium mining landscapes

Funding body + grant number:  Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), FORKAExternal link  15S9445A-C

Duration: 01.07.2023 – 31.12.2026

Project leader: Prof. Erika KotheExternal link& Prof. Thorsten Schäfer

Applied Geology: Dr. Sarah Nettemann, Caroline Pukallus, Dietrich Berger, Markus Riefenstahl

Microbial Communication: Levke Petersen, Katrin Krause

AFRY: Andreas Bauer, Stephan Demharter, Timo Kuntzsch

Wismut GmbH: Mirko Köhler, Andrea Schramm

Description:

In the BMFTR-funded joint project MykoBEst - Influence of the mycorrhizosphere of trees on soil development and erosion reduction of uranium mining landscapes, radionuclide and heavy metal contaminated (RN/HM) substrates are used for the production of energy crops for radiation protection purposes. The aim is to further develop microbially controlled phytostabilization measures with mycorrhizal fungi for site-independent concepts. These concepts will be transferred to other (European) sulphide ore mining landscapes in different climatic conditions. The measures are aimed at securing the long-term restoration of post-mining landscapes while also meeting the new challenges posed by climate change. The overarching objectives are erosion reduction and the use of lignocellulose from short rotation forestry field experiments already established in the USER/USER II projects (15S9417, 15S9194). Usage of the biomass as an energy source or, as a new aspect, as a raw material for pulp and paper production will be explored. This is being investigated and evaluated in terms of technical and economic feasibility by the joint project partner AFRYExternal link. The aim is to establish a sustainable system for long-term erosion reduction and protection of waste rock pile covers in post-mining landscapes. This will be achieved through controlled RN/HM transport behavior (mobilization or stabilization) by soil formation and stabilization in the root zone, and by improved water availability for host trees through mycorrhizal fungi. Older sites provided by the partner WismutExternal link will be evaluated through innovative biomonitoring methods (use of element storage in the wood of older trees) in order to document the (time-varying) climatic stress on the above-ground biomass. This dendroanalysis allows a temporal-spatial resolution of the contamination pathways and provides information on the integrity of protective barriers. 

Preliminary results: : Posterpdf, 13 mbat the 12th Symposium of the International Society for Root Research

Posters at the Goldschmidt Conference 2025 (link 1pdf, 5 mb · de, link 2pdf, 6 mb · de)

Publications on the Gessenwiese test site:

Nettemann, S., Mirgorodsky, D., Fürst, D., Lenk, K., Merten, D., Willing, K., Rosenbaum, M.A., Kothe, E., Schäfer, T., 2025. Land reclamation of a former uranium mining site: Combined metal phytostabilization and biomass production. Total Environment Engineering 4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teengi.2025.100029External link .

Project-related events:

07.–08.10.2025 Workshop (co-organized by partner AFRY) on utilization paths and economic aspects of biomass production on post-mining landscapes

09.–10.10.2025: Environmental Interfaces Symposium (formerly Remediation Colloquium)

05.–07.10.2026: Environmental Interfaces Symposium & Workshop (Hands-on Grant Writing)