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 language | English |
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Title of host publication | Spoil to Soil |
Subtitle of host publication | Mine Site Rehabilitation and Revegetation |
Publisher | CRC Press |
Pages | 59-74 |
Number of pages | 16 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781498767620 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781498767613 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 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)