On October 28–30, members of the XTRACT consortium gathered in Lavrion, near Athens (Greece) for a field demonstration at an abandoned mining site — one of the project’s pilot sites.
The Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry (LAMMC) was represented by Dr. Dorotėja Vaitiekūnaitė, joined by Dr. Marius Praspaliauskas from the Lithuanian Energy Institute (LEI).
During the visit, the team participated in the installation of a demonstration field experiment, planting approximately 100 trees from four species: Quercus robur, Alnus glutinosa, Betula pendula, and Salix sp. These species were chosen based on previous greenhouse experiments, where they exhibited phytostabilisation potential for lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd), as well as a capacity for Cd accumulation in aboveground organs.
Phytostabilisation helps to immobilise toxic metals in the soil, preventing their spread to surrounding areas and protecting downstream ecosystems. Meanwhile, the observed Cd uptake in aboveground tissues opens opportunities for phytomining — an innovative approach where plants are used to extract and recover valuable metals from contaminated soils, turning waste into a resource.
Over the next four months, the experiment will monitor the trees’ growth, metal accumulation, and translocation patterns, helping to evaluate their long-term potential for sustainable remediation.
This field activity reflects the XTRACT project’s mission to Zero Waste mining, integrating phytoremediation and phytomining technologies into real-world applications — advancing circular economy principles, supporting ecosystem recovery, and promoting environmentally and socially responsible solutions for the remediation of contaminated sites.
Project supervisor at the LAMMC – Dr. Vaida Sirgedaitė-Polikaitienė, Chief Researcher, Head of the Laboratory of Forest Plant Biotechnology of the Institute of Forestry.
Project newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dK6cSAjW
