GREENValue - Valorisation of Resource Generation in Natural Space

The GREENValue project aims at the ecological restoration of significant areas of forest land at risk of desertification in the Municipality of Alfândega da Fé (classified as semi-arid and dry sub-humid according to the 1980-2010 Aridity Index). In this sense, the project proposes to test the introduction of 4 tree species (2 coniferous species - stone pine and maritime pine - and 2 leafy species - cork oak and holm oak), well known for their adaptability to this type of ecosystems, in the afforestation plans to be implemented.

Additionally, GREENValue proposes the inclusion of biofertilizers, mainly from wastewater treatment plants of the Alfândega da Fé municipality, treated through stabilization with calcium oxide (quicklime) or composted, in order to improve soil quality and its ability to provide ecosystem services, particularly in terms of maintenance and development of vegetation cover. In this context, it is intended to validate the forest application of these by-products, giving them added value and allowing to mitigate two current environmental problems: the loss of soil quality (and consequent desertification process) and the destination and recovery of large quantities of by-products from the WWTP and structuring materials from the activity of the company Resíduos do Nordeste, in order to promote circular economy but also to make their application to soil more eco-compatible. We intend to monitor these field tests in order to evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of the applied restoration plans, as well as the effectiveness of the application of biofertilizers in the mitigation of desertification, namely by assessing the effects on the soil, and on the plant cover at the silvicultural and ecophysiological level.

Furthermore, we also intend to develop alternative processes for the treatment of sludge from wastewater treatment plants, through the conventional composting technique and vermicomposting, testing solutions that include the evaluation of different mixtures in order to obtain a final product properly sanitized, stabilized and matured. These solutions will be subsequently tested in bench trials, with the intention of leaving the door open for future field trials in an attempt to obtain safe biofertilizers for future use in the forestry sector, in a closing the loop perspective.