January 2013 – The CMI Green Fund contributes to the project Impacts, in terms of greenhouse gases (GHG), of soil amendment with previously landfilled paper mill biosolids, led by the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, the eco-advisory chair and the Zone d’intervention Prioritaire (ZIP) Saguenay. This is an additional component of the framework project Sustainable development and management of paper mill sludge: barriers and incentives to recycling and recovery in a context of the fight against climate change, the objective of which is to increase knowledge and scientific data on the impacts of soil amendment with paper mill sludge.
Measurements of GHG (CH4 and N2O in particular) will be carried out before and after the application of paper sludge on agricultural land that will be cultivated and monitored throughout the season. Emissions will be compared to an adjacent untreated crop and to the landfill site of the paper mill that supplied the biosolids. These data will allow a direct comparison of the GHG impacts of the agricultural recycling of these biosolids as fertilizer residual material (FRM) versus industrial landfill activities. The objective is to provide a more complete picture of the problem of gas emissions related to the management of paper mill biosolids and their potential use as an agricultural amendment after more or less prolonged storage. Photo: UQACCMI Green Fund Contributes to University Research Project
