An Environmental Rehabilitation team from the Centre met with researchers from the Department of Engineering and Soils at this university to learn about these facilities and discuss future collaborations on projects related to the restoration of sites impacted by mining and the implementation of nature-based solutions.
Researchers María Paz Valenzuela and Pablo Bustos, from the Environmental Rehabilitation and Ecosystem Dynamics team at SMI-ICE-Chile, along with Dr. David Rubinos, the Center’s Scientific Leader, visited the facilities of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Chile, where they toured the Soil and Water Chemistry Laboratory and Research Greenhouse, part of the Department of Engineering and Soils.
During the visit, they were welcomed by Dr. Yasna Tapia Fernández, a professor at the same faculty, an AMTC researcher, and the laboratory manager, along with her research team, which includes specialists Edouard Acuña, Ayleen Celedón, and Javiera Ugalde, as well as master’s student Rene García.
At the meeting, possibilities for collaboration between the two institutions were explored, as well as the option of developing joint projects related to the recovery of sites impacted by mining and the implementation of nature-based solutions.
The team, led by Dr. Tapia, focuses its work on the remediation of mining environmental liabilities, such as tailings, dumps, and impacted soils, through chemical and physical stabilization strategies that incorporate native plant species. This technique, known as phytoremediation, offers advantages over traditional methods, as it is more economical, less invasive, and more sustainable in the long term. It also promotes landscape recovery, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and the recycling of organic waste.
Currently, the laboratory conducts greenhouse research focused on the evaluation of various plant species and organic amendments, with the goal of limiting the mobility of metals and metalloids and proposing cost-effective and scalable solutions for the rehabilitation of sites impacted by mining.
This approach aligns with the work areas and projects of the Environmental Rehabilitation and Ecosystem Dynamics team at SMI-ICE-Chile, which specializes in the design and application of nature-based solutions for the recovery of sites degraded by mining activities, with a strong emphasis on participatory processes.
Through interdisciplinary approaches that combine ecology, environmental engineering, and soil science, the SMI-ICE-Chile team researches and promotes the use of techniques such as phytoremediation, the promotion of ecosystem services, and biodiversity restoration, with the goal of contributing to more sustainable mining through cost-efficient and replicable strategies that generate long-term environmental, social, and territorial benefits.
During the meeting, the possibility of using the laboratory’s facilities to develop joint projects was also discussed, as well as establishing internships for students from the University of Chile. This alliance seeks to strengthen academic and scientific collaboration between both institutions, in addition to promoting applied research in environmental rehabilitation, facilitating student training, and accessing specialized international networks. In this way, it is hoped to generate knowledge with a territorial impact and advance the integration of science, academia, and mining sustainability.
