Volunteers and BelSU faculty creating carbon measurement area at Lebedinsky GOK

The environmental campaign launched to create a carbon farm on the industrial lands of the Lebedinsky GOK (Mining and Processing Plant) brought together volunteers and employees of Belgorod National Research University. The campaign participants are going to plant a 5-hectare area at the Southern edge of the Lebedinsky quarry with about 3,000 seedlings of Simon's Poplar (or Chinese Cottonwood).

Students and professors of the BelSU Institute of Earth Sciences already planted the first seedlings on the site of the future carbon farm of the Lebedinsky Mining and Processing Plant. According to Ignat Ignatenko, the director of the BelSU Institute of Earth Sciences, an environmental campaign of this kind is one of many where the students and teachers of the Institute take part, contributing to a more comfortable urban environment.

Doctor of Geographical Sciences, Professor Pavel Goleusov explained the species choice by the fact that thanks to a sticky surface on its leaves, the Simon poplar captures more of urban dust from the air around it.

‘Trees of this species actively absorb carbon dioxide, emit phytoncides, grow quite quickly and don’t have fluff around seeds. The scientific project of the carbon farm – a site for carbon unit production – was developed by researchers from the BelSU regional centre for monitoring the carbon balance,’ explained Pavel Goleusov.

According to Professor, in a 15 years’ time the carbon farm will produce about 750 carbon units, which means it will absorb the corresponding amount of carbon dioxide.