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BioChance – Impacts of new land use types for bio-economy on the environment and water cycle – Potential and Risks

Description of the project:
The project BioChance aims at exploring the potential and risk of bio-economy for the water cycle, especially of agro-forestry with cultivated and harvested willow trees having turn-over times from planting to harvest of less than 15 years. These cultures can be used to produce wooden biomass on sites with poor soils. Such agroforestry systems are known to produce less pollution and nutrient leakage to groundwater and have a favourable impact on vulnerable groundwater sites. Fluxes of water, carbon and nutrient will be investigated on such agroforestry sites in the state of Baden-Württemberg using a new soil probing technique developed at the University of Freiburg. Soil cores will be taken and investigated for soil water isotopes to determine the water flux and recharge. Nutrient probes provide further information on nutrient balance and fluxes beneath such agroforestry sites. The results of these field investigations will be stored in a database and related to soil types, morphology and hydrological conditions. Based on the empirical results and on the database a state-wide strategy will be developed indicating how innovative agroforestry and bio-economy systems can be used in terms of groundwater protection. A plan and environmental strategy will be proposed to support and use fast turnover willow cultivation and similar agroforestry systems for groundwater protection.

contact person: Prof. Dr. Markus Weiler
Phone: +49(0)761 203 3535
Email: markus.weiler@hydrology.uni-freiburg.de
Runtime:
Start of project: 01.07.2014
End of project: 30.06.2017
Project Management:
Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg
Weiler M
Professur für Hydrologie

Friedrichstrasse 39
79098 Freiburg i. Br.
Germany

Phone: +49(0)761-203-3530
Fax: +49(0)761-203-3994
Email: hydrology@hydrology.uni-freiburg.de
http://www.hydro.uni-freiburg.de
Actual Research Report

Contributors:
  • Herbstritt B
  • Hoffmann A
Financing:
  • Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst, Baden-Württemberg, Land
Keywords:
    Bioökonomie, Kurzumtriebsplantagen, Wasserhaushalt, Stoffhaushalt, Isotope