Mining atmospheric CO2: Assessing the efficacy of novel carbon sequestration strategies in smelter damaged ecosystems to achieve net zero GHG emissions

开采大气中的二氧化碳：评估新型碳封存策略在冶炼厂受损生态系统中的有效性，以实现温室气体净零排放

• 批准号: 577382-2022
• 负责人: McCarter, ColinCPR
• 金额: $ 36.4万
• 依托单位: Nipissing University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=743892
• 关键词: Mining; atmospheric; CO2; Assessing; efficacy

Sudbury, Ontario is one of the world's largest metal mining centres, and historically has been the largest global point source of sulphur dioxide and metal particulate pollution. Through the City of Greater Sudbury's Regreening Program (of which Vale Canada LTD is an important contributor), ecosystem reclamation is a prominent goal. The Regreening Program has substantial evidence informed planning and application by industry, local, national, and global groups. Both the City and Vale have a new goal of net zero carbon (C) by 2050. To achieve this, an integrated industrial emission, energy systems and ecosystem management approach is needed that has been highlighted in the City's Community Energy and Emissions Plan. While regionally over 30,000 ha have been reforested, sequestering an estimated 500,000 Mg of C, there are ~6,000 ha of peatlands that are the densest current and potential C store in this landscape. Yet, many of these peatlands are contaminated with decades of legacy industrial emissions from smelting resulting in degraded functionality and a loss of ~100 years of sequestered C. Notably the keystone Sphagnum "peat mosses" that drive net C sequestration cannot tolerate high levels of metals or sulphur. These normally C-sequestering powerhouses are no longer operating as atmospheric C sinks in this contaminated landscape and there are no current methods to restore contaminated peatlands. Complicating the C storage potential of this landscape is the application of lime to the uplands during reforestation that further disrupts functioning of the naturally acidic peatlands. The impact of upland liming on C sequestration, whether as inadvertent direct application by aircraft or through runoff, is unknown but likely impedes C sequestration and reduces the resiliency of large residual C stocks. We aim to develop novel peatland restoration techniques to address the impacts of industrial contamination and liming and determine modifications to upland regreening efforts to enhance landscape C sequestration potential. This information will be critical to achieve net zero C within the region, and broadly in Canadian and global mining-impacted landscapes.

安大略省萨德伯里是世界上最大的金属采矿中心之一，历史上一直是全球最大的二氧化硫和金属颗粒污染点源。通过大萨德伯里市的绿化计划（淡水河谷加拿大有限公司是该计划的重要贡献者），生态系统复垦是一个突出目标。重新绿化计划有大量证据支持行业、地方、国家和全球团体的规划和应用。该市和淡水河谷都有到 2050 年实现净零碳 (C) 的新目标。为了实现这一目标，需要采用综合工业排放、能源系统和生态系统管理方法，这在该市的社区能源和排放计划中已得到强调。虽然该地区有超过 30,000 公顷的土地被重新造林，估计封存了 500,000 毫克的碳，但仍有约 6,000 公顷的泥炭地是该景观中当前和潜在的碳储存最密集的地区。然而，这些泥炭地中的许多都受到了数十年冶炼遗留工业排放的污染，导致功能退化和约 100 年封存碳的损失。值得注意的是，驱动净碳封存的关键泥炭藓“泥炭苔”不能容忍高含量的金属或硫磺。由于大气中的碳在这片受污染的景观中下沉，这些通常固碳的发电站不再运行，而且目前没有方法可以恢复受污染的泥炭地。造林过程中向高地施用石灰，进一步破坏了天然酸性泥炭地的功能，使这一景观的碳储存潜力变得更加复杂。高地石灰对碳封存的影响，无论是飞机无意中直接施用还是通过径流，尚不清楚，但可能会阻碍碳封存并降低大量残留碳库的弹性。我们的目标是开发新型泥炭地恢复技术，以解决工业污染和石灰的影响，并确定对高地重新绿化工作的修改，以增强景观碳封存潜力。这些信息对于在该地区以及加拿大和全球受采矿影响的地区实现净零摄氏度至关重要。