Amendments with organic and industrial wastes stimulate soil formation in mine tailings as revealed by micromorphology

Abstract

Amendments with organic and industrial wastes stimulate soil formation in mine tailings as revealed by micromorphology Zanuzzi, A.; Arocena, J.M.; van Mourik, J.M.; Faz Cano, A. General rightsIt is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Disclaimer/Complaints regulationsIf you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: http://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible. Mine tailings are inhospitable to plants and soil organisms, because of low pH and poor soil organic matter contents. Vegetation establishment requires a soil system capable of supporting the nutrient and water requirements of plants and associated organisms. The objective of this study was to understand the influence of added organic and industrial wastes to the formation of soils in degraded landscapes left behind by past mining activities. Specifically, we stimulated the build up of soil organic matter (SOM) and the accumulation of calcite in mine tailing deposits. We amended field experimental plots with pig manure (PM), sewage sludge (SS) in combination with blanket application of marble wastes (MW). Soil samples were collected for physical and chemical analyses, two years after the addition of industrial wastes. Three years after amendments, we took undisturbed samples for micromorphological analysis. Soil pH increased from 2.7 to 7.4 due to dissolution of calcite from MW amendment. The acidity in tailings and low rainfall in the study area precipitated the secondary calcite as infillings within the 0-4 cm layer. Total organic carbon (TOC) increased from 0.86 to 2.5 g TOC kg − 1 soil after 24 months since the application of amendments. The build up of SOM resulted to stable SOM-calcite complex as dense incomplete infillings mixed with secondary calcite, and cappings on calcite particles from MW addition. These SOM cappings provide water and nutrient to support initial seedling establishment in mine tailings. We attribute the granular structure of amended materials to soil organisms (e.g., earthworm activity) involved in the decomposition of plant materials. We suggest that any organic matter amendments to acidic mine tailing deposits must be combined with calcium carbonate-rich materials to accelerate the build up of SOM to accelerate the establishment of functional ecosystem characterized by, among others, the presence of healthy soils with granular microstructure.

The role of organic amendments in soil reclamation: A review

“…Incorporating organic amendments will usually increase saturated hydraulic conductivity (Gupta et al 1977;Leroy et al 2008a) although contrasting and inconclusive results have often been reported (Khaleel et al 1981;Zebarth et al 1999;Schneider et al 2009). The very high variability of hydraulic conductivity may make it difficult to detect induced effects from organic amendments under field conditions.…”

“…In southeastern Spain, Zanuzzi et al (2009) added pig manure and sewage sludge in combination with a blanket application of marble wastes aimed at building soil organic matter and accumulating calcite in mine tailings. The acidity of the tailings combined with low rainfall in the study area precipitated secondary calcite as infillings within the 0 to 4 cm surface layer.…”

Resíduos de serragem de mármores como corretivo da acidez de solo

“…De fato, alguns trabalhos já foram conduzidos objetivando-se a correção de pH de solos acidificados em áreas mineradas em que a utilização de pó de mármore foi eficiente na redução de metais tóxicos, não apenas do Al, mas também As, Cu, Pb, Zn e Cd (Fernández-Caliania & Barba-Briosob, 2010). Em associação com compostos orgânicos esses materiais podem, inclusive, contribuir para a formação de solo em áreas completamente degradadas (Zanuzzi et al, 2009).…”

Reclamation of a mine tailings pond by addition of marble waste and pig slurry for the development of aided phytostabilization

“…High incidences of wind and water erosion events negatively affect soil, water, vegetation, fauna, and human populations in the surrounding areas (Zanuzzi et al, 2009) (Bradshaw and Johnson, 1992). Organic waste such as sewage sludge and animal manure can be used as nutrient sources which stimulate the formation of aggregates (Zanuzzi et al, 2009)…”