TU Dresden involved in BMEL-funded project for the rewetting of land

The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) is funding a model and demonstration project for the rewetting of peatlands and the utilisation of paludicultures with 10.7 million euros via the Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR). The Chair of Wood and Fibre Material Technology at TU Dresden is involved in the model project with the sub-project "Development of process chains and material products of regional paludicultures" and is receiving funding of 1.7 million euros.

The aim of the project is to raise the water levels in a model region such as the Teufelsmoor in Lower Saxony to a peat-preserving level on predominantly agriculturally utilised moorland and to establish innovative value chains for the biomass produced in order to achieve nature conservation goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition to reducing climate emissions from peat soils, the transdisciplinary joint project supports farmers in developing solutions for economically viable value chains for products from paludicultures (e.g. wet grasses and reeds). The spectrum of uses ranges from construction and insulation materials to packaging and moulded fibre parts.

The project is being implemented by the Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture, the Thünen Institute for Climate Protection in Agriculture, the district of Osterholz, the Lower Saxony Landvolk (Osterholz district association), the Michael Succow Foundation, partner in the Greifswald Mire Centre and the TU Dresden.