Use of biowaste for mine site rehabilitation: A meta-analysis on soil carbon dynamics

Hasintha Wijesekara, Nanthi S. Bolan, Kim Colyvas, Balaji Seshadri, Yong Sik Ok, Yasser M. Awad, Yilu Xu, Ramesh Thangavel, Aravind Surapaneni, Christopher Saint, Meththika Vithanage

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

“Mining” refers to the excavation of economically important resources from terrestrial landmasses, thereby generating a large quantity of valuable precursors for commercial and industrial activities. Mineral products such as coal, aluminum, copper, iron, gold, and mineral sand are examples from the mining industry. Though mining advances global economic prosperity, this industry severely disturbs the land, water resources, and the environment (Figure 4.1). Mined waste materials such as tailings, subsoils, oxidized wastes, and fireclay are the main causes for land disturbance. Presence of potentially hazardous substances such as heavy metals in elevated concentrations in the mined waste materials has caused land contamination. Poor soil characteristics such as low-level organic matter and poor soil texture and structure have resulted in deterioration of the land, adversely affecting the establishment of plants and soil microbial flora and fauna (Boyer et al. 2011, Johnson 2003, Larney and Angers 2012, Sopper 1992). Disturbed mine sites are known to contaminate water resources 60 61in many countries, mainly from acid mine drainage (Bolan et al. 2003, Lindsay et al. 2015, Taylor et al. 1997). Therefore, these sites need to be rehabilitated to minimize potential environmental consequences, thereby enhancing their utilization. Revegetation of mine sites is one of the potential strategies that can be applied to improve these disturbed land masses. Here, infertile soil properties are improved by a series of processes such as land application of biowastes

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSpoil to Soil
Subtitle of host publicationMine Site Rehabilitation and Revegetation
PublisherCRC Press
Pages59-74
Number of pages16
ISBN (Electronic)9781498767620
ISBN (Print)9781498767613
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017 Jan 1

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Engineering(all)
  • Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
  • Environmental Science(all)

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