Aim - Objectives
PPC generates electricity and implements
a program to rehabilitate disturbed soils from
lignite mining. About 7 million trees have been
planted on more than 20,000 acres. In detail, the
objectives of the research project are:
1) The calculation of the aboveground
and underground biomass and the estimation of the CO2 absorption from the tree plantations of
PPC in restored soils of the mines of the Western
Macedonia Lignite Center.
2) Research to assess the
contribution of plantations to the reduction of
respirable suspended PM10 particles and to the
mitigation of the environmental footprint of the
mines.
3) The installation of a monitoring
system to record seasonal and temporal changes in
CO2
storage in the Western Macedonia Lignite Center.
4) Pilot model innovation with
the establishment of a recreational park on the
border of the restored area, according to the study
awarded by PPC in the Panhellenic competition of
architectural ideas for renovation and reuse of
mines.
The certification of absorption units
from the tree plantations will ensure to PPC the
reduction of the total CO2
emission balance and will scientifically
substantiate the environmental footprint from
particle retention from the total leaf area of
the tree plantations. The databases that will be
created will be used to provide high quality
information and data on plantations and CO2 absorption.
This project will prove the quantitative
contribution of plantations to CO2
absorption and will create motives for the
intensification of mines restorations.
