Laurentian University will receive $1.6M from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the government of Ontario through the TargetGHG program administered by Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) in support of research aimed at tackling the problem of greenhouse gas emissions.
The Landscape Carbon Accumulation through Reductions in Emissions (L-CARE) project will examine how best to manage reclamation as part of a carbon sequestration strategy in relation to extensive hard-rock mining, looking at an assortment of treatment and management strategies across three main ecosystem types: upland, wetland, and aquatic.
“Laurentian has gained national recognition for its excellence in research and innovation particularity as a leader in transforming industrially-impacted environments,” said Dr. Rui Wang, Vice President, Research at Laurentian. “The investment we received today will help address critical issues to further improve carbon emissions reduction.”
Through the TargetGHG program, NSERC and OCE are partnering to support industry and academic collaborations that address Ontario carbon emissions reduction targets while creating economic benefits, and each will contribute $798K to this project. The L-CARE project is also supported by research partners Vale Canada Limited, Glencore’s Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations (Sudbury INO), and the City of Greater Sudbury, who are frequent collaborators on regional landscape reclamation efforts.
“Greater Sudbury’s Regreening Program has been and continues to be a global leader,” says Nathan Basiliko, Canadian Research Chair in Environmental Microbiology and co-lead of the L-CARE research project. “This research brings together industrial, community, and government stakeholders to transform an industrially-impacted landscape into biodiverse and well-functioning ecosystems. We are excited to look retrospectively at how these past and ongoing reclamation efforts have led to active carbon sequestration, and to test new protocols to maximize carbon storage while still meeting the other important ongoing goals of reclamation.”
Since the 1970s, after massive investments in reducing sulfur and metal emissions from the smelters began, more than 8,000 hectares of Greater Sudbury’s landscape have been treated with crushed limestone and over 10 million tree seedlings have been replanted. However, over 30,000 hectares remain unrestored. A team of Laurentian University researchers led by Nathan Basiliko and John Gunn, along with Nadia Mykytczuk, Peter Beckett, and Graeme Spiers, will soon be investigating how best to manage reclamation as part of a carbon sequestration strategy in relation to extensive hard rock mining.
“Environmental sustainability is one of our greatest challenges, both now and in the future,” says Glenn Thibeault, Member of Provincial Parliament for Sudbury and Ontario Minister of Energy. “Supporting the TargetGHG program delivered by OCE is a clear demonstration of Ontario’s commitment to cleantech research and innovation and we applaud today’s announcement.”
The team of researchers at Laurentian and its five partner institutions—McMaster University, Trent University, Queen’s University, Université de Sherbrooke, and Université du Québec à Montréal, and collaborators from Cambridge University, Cornell University, The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and the Canadian Forest Service—will examine an assortment of treatment and management strategies across three main ecosystem types. They will also perform trials on mine tailings management areas, working closely with the industry partners such as Vale and Glencore Sudbury INO.
“Taking steps to reduce the impacts of greenhouse gases and air pollution on our climate and environment is a key priority in Canada,” says Dr. Marc Fortin, Vice-President, Research Partnerships, NSERC. “NSERC is proud to partner with Ontario Centres of Excellence to connect Canada’s top researchers and companies to develop innovative clean technologies that will advance environmental sustainability in Canada and improve the health and quality of life of Canadians.”
Current rough estimates place the carbon storage potential of local smelter-impacted barren and semi-barren lands high enough to balance ten years of carbon emissions by the industry partners at current levels. Additionally, development of new protocols could be used in reclamation efforts in other, similarly impacted areas of mining and industrial disturbance around the world.
ABOUT LAURENTIAN UNIVERSITY
Laurentian University, located on the traditional territory of the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation, is committed to strengthening the foundation of knowledge in higher education and research in order to offer an outstanding university experience in English and French with a comprehensive approach to Indigenous education. Together with its federated partners, Laurentian University prepares leaders who bring innovative and intelligent solutions to local and global issues.