University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) - Research portal
Selected Publication:
Minixhofer, P; Scharf, B; Hafner, S; Weiss, O; Henockl, C; Greiner, M; Room, T; Stangl, R.
(2022):
Towards the Circular Soil Concept: Optimization of Engineered Soils for Green Infrastructure Application
SUSTAINABILITY-BASEL. 2022; 14(2), 905
FullText
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- Abstract:
- At conventional construction sites, the removal of soil and other excavated materials causes enormous mass movement, with a significant climate impact and contribution to global CO2 release. This study aimed to generate a Circular Soil concept for reusing excavated materials by creating engineered soils for landscape construction at large building sites. Engineered soils act as a substitute for natural soils and fulfill vital technical and soil functions when installing an urban green infrastructure (GI). In a field study, the vegetation performance on engineered soils was evaluated to establish a methodological approach, to assess the applicability of the Circular Soil concept. First, the technical specifications (grain-size distribution) were modeled for intensive green roof and turfgrass applications. Then, the soil components were optimized, mixed, installed and tested for greenery purposes, focusing on plant growth performance indicators (vitality, projective cover ratio and grass-herb ratio) to assess the vegetation performance. The results showed that the engineered soils match the performance of the reference soil alternatives. In conclusion, the Circular Soil concept has a high potential to contribute considerably to sustainable on-site soil management and the circular economy. It can be applied on a larger scale for urban GI development and sustainable resources management in the landscaping and construction sector.
- Authors BOKU Wien:
- Henöckl Christina
- Minixhofer Pia
- Scharf Bernhard
- Stangl Rosemarie
- Weiss Oliver
- Find related publications in this database (Keywords)
- green infrastructures
- circular soil
- engineered soils
- vegetation performance
- sustainable resources management
- circular economy
- sustainable soil management
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