Pilot testing of a Geomorphic Landform Design reclamation using a vegetative layer with short paper fiber amendment on an abandoned coal refuse pile in Appalachia Levi J. Cyphers Over 3,000 abandoned mine lands in the Appalachian regions of West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky and are in need of reclamation. This research tested an alternative cap and cover reclamation design using short paper fiber as a soil amendment in a coarse coal refuse vegetation layer. Short paper fiber is the solid residuals extracted from the paper manufacturing process, and treated as waste. Short paper fiber is a nutrient dense material that has been successfully tested as a soil amendment in soils. The intent of the vegetation layer was to support grass growth and persistence, stabilize the site, and reduce acid mine drainage (AMD). First, a 0.28 acre field site was designed to demonstrate and test geomorphic reclamation features in Appalachia. The field site was composed of three test plots (60% refuse with 40% paper fiber, 80% refuse with 20% paper fiber, 100% refuse) that centrally drained into a geomorphic channel. A hydraulic barrier composed of compacted refuse and slopes up to 2H:1V were included. Construction was completed September 2017 and the site was monitored (i.e. vegetation ground cover, infiltration of vegetation layer and hydraulic barrier, compaction, surface runoff water quality, and surface temperature). The constructability of the site was also studied to identify suitable construction methods during the final reclamation of the full site. Vegetation ground cover reached a maximum of 29.4% in the plot with 20% paper fiber. Infiltration of the refuse was reduced 30.5% in the hydraulic barrier of the plots containing paper fiber from the in situ material, despite not meeting the 95% required compaction density. Surface temperature varied 11°C across the plots, affecting grass germination. Though a longer duration of monitoring is needed, preliminary findings show that the mixture ratio containing 20% short paper fiber outperformed the mixture ratio containing 40% paper fiber. Reducing short paper fiber for the growth layer means additional savings in the cost of the final reclamation. I would like to take a second to show thanks for the support I have received while completing this master's program. I am appreciative of the help Dr. Leslie Hopkinson, Dr. John Quaranta, and Dr. Seung Ho Hong for the research advising received while serving on my committee. To Iuri, for his help in many days of data collection and hours spent driving, and willingness to help out in any way. To Justin and Russell, for endless advice and assistance on any task. To my family, who provided encouragement when needed, and always made sure I never went without. Thank you to Nathan Parks and Jeff Johnson, and the rest of the WVDEP for providing this opportunity for research, and their cooperation throughout the duration of this project. v
Maximizing the use of onsite material to create topsoil has the potential to reduce costs for mine reclamation in the eastern United States. This study evaluated the addition of short paper fiber (SPF), a by-product of paper mill processing, to coarse coal refuse (CCR) to aid in vegetation establishment. Vegetation growth in two blends of SPF and CCR (80% CCR with 20% SPF; 60% CCR with 40% SPF) was compared to growth in refuse. Ground cover was monitored weekly, and biomass was measured. The SPF/CCR blends resulted in significantly higher ground cover and biomass than the refuse alone. Therefore, the addition of SPF shows potential to support vegetation establishment in CCR. Ground cover reached the minimum level needed for environmental permit release (70%) for both SPF/CCR blends, but ground cover decreased to below 50% on average by the end of the study. Further study should be completed at a large scale.
Water infiltration of coal refuse piles leads to an increase of acidity in groundwater and nearby streams and rivers. This study tested the effect of adding short paper fiber as a soil amendment to establish and maintain vegetative cover in coarse coal refuse. Two blends of short paper fiber and coarse coal refuse were tested for use as a topsoil mixture as well as a control sample containing only coal refuse. The ratios tested were 80% refuse with 20% short paper fiber (80/20 blend), 60% refuse with 40% paper fiber (60/40 blend), and 100% refuse with 0% paper fiber (control). All samples were tested using the same seeding mixture in identical growing conditions. The experiment lasted 16 weeks, mid-July – October 2016. Vegetation growth was measured weekly based on ground cover and stem height. Biomass measurements were collected in the final week of the study. Ground cover reached a maximum for samples containing paper fiber at 77.1% in the 80/20 blend. The maximum ground cover for any sample without paper fiber was 0.5%. Samples with short paper fiber had greater ground cover and biomass than the refuse samples. Results show that both blend ratios performed similarly with respect to the use as a growth medium. Therefore, the addition of short paper fiber shows potential to support vegetation establishment in coarse coal refuse. The work described in this presentation was supported in part by Grant/Cooperative Agreement Number S15AC20020 from the Office of Surface Mining.
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