XTRACT at “Managing Ecosystems for a Sustainable Tomorrow” Seminar

On December 13, 2024, the XTRACT project participated in the “Managing Ecosystems for a Sustainable Tomorrow” seminar held in Girionys, Lithuania. This scientific seminar, organized by LAMMC (Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry), served as a platform for researchers and experts to discuss innovative approaches to ecological recovery and sustainable resource use.

Dr. Dorotėja Vaitiekūnaitė, representing XTRACT, shared groundbreaking insights into phytoremediation and phytomining technologies. These methods utilize the natural abilities of plants to recover metals from the soil while promoting environmental restoration.

Phytomining: An Eco-Friendly Solution for Resource Recovery

Phytomining involves using plants, including trees, to absorb metals from the soil. These plants are then harvested, and the biomass is processed to recover the accumulated metals. This process offers a host of environmental and economic benefits:

• Sustainability: Reduces the demand for traditional mining activities by focusing on recovering metals from waste piles and abandoned sites.
• Efficiency: Trees are particularly effective for large-scale recovery due to their metal accumulation capabilities and minimal environmental impact.
• Circular Economy: Harvested plants can be used as biofuels, while the ash, rich in metals, undergoes processing for metal recovery. Residual ash is further repurposed to enrich soils, creating a sustainable cycle of reuse.

Dr. Vaitiekūnaitė emphasized the practical applications of these technologies, highlighting their relevance to environmental restoration, economic development, and societal well-being. The seminar also fostered international collaboration, with attendees from Lithuania and Switzerland engaging in discussions about these innovative solutions.

The XTRACT project remains committed to disseminating cutting-edge research and promoting sustainable resource recovery methods.