Amending potential of organic and industrial by-products applied to heavy metal-rich mining soils.
Mining activities promote the development of economies and societies, yet they cause environmental impacts that must be minimized so that their benefits overcome the likely risks. This study evaluated eco-friendly technologies based on the use of low-carbon footprint wastes and industrial by-products as soil amendments for the revegetation of Zn-mining areas. Our goal was to select adequate soil amendments that can be used to recover these areas, with a focus on low-cost materials. The amendments - limestone, sewage sludge, biochar, and composted food remains - were first characterized concerning their chemical composition and structural morphologies. Soil samples (Entisol, Oxisol, Technosol) from three different areas located inside an open-pit mine were later incubated for 60 days with increasing doses of each soil amendment, followed by cultivation with Andropogon gayanus, a native species. The amendments were able to change not only soil pH, but also the phytoavailable levels of Cd, Zn, and Pb. Limestone and biochar were the amendments that caused the highest pH values, reducing the phytoavailability of the metals. All amendments improved seed germination; however, the composted food remains presented low levels of germination, which could make the amendments unfeasible for revegetation efforts. Our findings showed that biochar, which is a by-product of the mining company, is the most suitable amendment to enhance revegetation efforts in the Zn-mining areas, not only because of its efficiency and cost, but also due to its low carbon footprint, which is currently the trend for any "green remediation" proposal.
['Martins|Gabriel Caixeta|GC|', 'Penido|Evanise Silva|ES|', 'Alvarenga|Ingrid Fernanda Santana|IFS|', 'Teodoro|Jéssica Cristina|JC|', 'Bianchi|Maria Lucia|ML|', 'Guilherme|Luiz Roberto Guimarães|LRG|']
D031722:Andropogon D002104:Cadmium D002119:Calcium Carbonate D002411:Cation Exchange Resins D002606:Charcoal D018525:Germination D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration D007854:Lead D019216:Metals, Heavy D008906:Mining D012722:Sewage D012987:Soil D012989:Soil Pollutants D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared D015032:Zinc
Limestone Sewage sludge Biochar Composted food remains Contamination Heavy metals