The research is complemented by the ongoing Bioremediation Project, which has studied the impact of the abandoned tailings in Puerto Cristal. Within the framework of the “Tailings Influence in Chelenko: Remediation Proposal” project, researchers and researchers from the UACh Patagonia Campus conducted the summer campaign to collect water samples to analyze metals, nutrients, chlorophyll and microorganisms such as phytoplankton The project proposes an innovative way to deal with environmental liabilities from mining sites, and the anthropogenic effect that is generated during the tourist season in regional waters.

“The idea is that we take a general picture, which will help us to characterize General Carrera Lake in summer, to say how much nutrients it can have and what amount of metals, and if these could be tailings influences. In addition to analyzing whether microorganisms that they live there are from the place and could have some kind of bioremediation capacity, “said Magdalena Márquez, marine biologist and project coordinator. The samples taken will be subjected to analysis and then sent to specialized laboratories. The “Tailings Influence in Chelenko: Remediation Proposal” project is funded by the Regional Government of Aysén through the Innovation Fund for Competitiveness (FIC).

By: Cooperativa.cl

Photo: Universidad Austral de Chile