Project R-3538

Energy crops on agricultural land enriched with heavy metals: functional repair by phytoextraction and/or energy crops as a sustainable alternative for classic agriculture. (Research)

When in vast agricultural areas legal treshold values for Cd, Pb and Zn are exceeded for food and fodder crops, this calls for a sustainable solution. This concerns risk-reduction and generation of an alternative income for agriculture but also a long-term reduction of pollution levels. Phytoremediation (i.e. remediation with plants) offers the opportunity to achieve multiple goals when non-food purpose crops are grown. The potential advantages are multiple: farmers are offered an economic alternative, soils are remediated with a medium to long term perspective on functional repair of the soil, and the harvested biomass offers energy opportunities. The general method used for the analysis of the different crops is a Cost Benefit Analysis. The current research project, however, intends to develop a more integrated assessment of non-food purpose crops on contaminated land, based on several criteria. Given the expertise on phytoremediation of several researchers at the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (F&ES) at Yale University and particularly the expertise of Prof. dr. Mendelsohn in valuing the environment and in assessing farmer's crop choice, F&ES is very interested in hosting me to work together on the economic viability of phytoremediation. Indeed, the concentration of all knowledge in one location offers the optimal research environment to come to an integrated assessment tool, refining dr. Mendelsohn's assessment techniques for the specific case of phytoremediation.

07 September 2009 - 02 July 2010