Revegetation and Quality Indicators of Technosols in Restored Mine Fields with Saline Mine Spoils
The European Union prioritizes nature restoration, particularly in semiarid Mediterranean regions where integrating degraded coal mining areas into the landscape is essential. This involves maximizing water use and controlling runoff. A rehabilitation project in a former mining quarry was conducted...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| author | Àngela D. Bosch-Serra Mónica Sorribas Pere Gómez-Reig Rosa M. Poch |
| author_facet | Àngela D. Bosch-Serra Mónica Sorribas Pere Gómez-Reig Rosa M. Poch |
| author_sort | Àngela D. Bosch-Serra |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The European Union prioritizes nature restoration, particularly in semiarid Mediterranean regions where integrating degraded coal mining areas into the landscape is essential. This involves maximizing water use and controlling runoff. A rehabilitation project in a former mining quarry was conducted with the objective of constructing suitable Technosols to support vegetation, limit erosion, and reduce rehabilitation costs. To prepare the substrate, mine spoils (saline materials) were mixed with residual materials, including discarded lignite powder, sewage sludge, pig slurry, and straw. Pig slurry was also introduced as a mulch in the experiment. A complete randomized block design with three replicates was set up, with each block containing two plots of the prepared substrate. In one of the plots, pig slurry was applied on the surface as a mulch to enhance infiltration and promote plant establishment. The quality of the newly created Technosols and the benefits of mulch application were evaluated 2 and 4 years after the rehabilitation. After two years, salt-tolerant plant species colonized the rehabilitated areas, providing sufficient vegetation cover to control water, soil, and nutrient losses, keeping soil losses below a 2.2 Mg ha<sup>−1</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup> threshold. Four years later, the new Technosols showed a fourfold increase in soluble organic-C content (up to 0.59 g kg<sup>−1</sup>) and higher soil respiration rates compared to the mine spoils and lignite powder in the surrounding degraded quarry areas. No significant differences were observed in any parameters due to superficial slurry application. Addressing salinity and optimizing vegetation cover are crucial for the successful formation and sustainability of Technosols in these environments. |
| format | Article |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Soil Systems |
| spelling | doaj-art-7ea88e22f1f848cf9b021201dfdb546f2025-08-20T01:48:50ZengMDPI AGSoil Systems2571-87892025-01-0191710.3390/soilsystems9010007Revegetation and Quality Indicators of Technosols in Restored Mine Fields with Saline Mine SpoilsÀngela D. Bosch-Serra0Mónica Sorribas1Pere Gómez-Reig2Rosa M. Poch3Department of Chemistry, Physics, Environmental and Soil Sciences, University of Lleida, Av. Alcalde Rovira Roure 191, E-25198 Lleida, SpainDepartment of Chemistry, Physics, Environmental and Soil Sciences, University of Lleida, Av. Alcalde Rovira Roure 191, E-25198 Lleida, SpainDepartment of Chemistry, Physics, Environmental and Soil Sciences, University of Lleida, Av. Alcalde Rovira Roure 191, E-25198 Lleida, SpainDepartment of Chemistry, Physics, Environmental and Soil Sciences, University of Lleida, Av. Alcalde Rovira Roure 191, E-25198 Lleida, SpainThe European Union prioritizes nature restoration, particularly in semiarid Mediterranean regions where integrating degraded coal mining areas into the landscape is essential. This involves maximizing water use and controlling runoff. A rehabilitation project in a former mining quarry was conducted with the objective of constructing suitable Technosols to support vegetation, limit erosion, and reduce rehabilitation costs. To prepare the substrate, mine spoils (saline materials) were mixed with residual materials, including discarded lignite powder, sewage sludge, pig slurry, and straw. Pig slurry was also introduced as a mulch in the experiment. A complete randomized block design with three replicates was set up, with each block containing two plots of the prepared substrate. In one of the plots, pig slurry was applied on the surface as a mulch to enhance infiltration and promote plant establishment. The quality of the newly created Technosols and the benefits of mulch application were evaluated 2 and 4 years after the rehabilitation. After two years, salt-tolerant plant species colonized the rehabilitated areas, providing sufficient vegetation cover to control water, soil, and nutrient losses, keeping soil losses below a 2.2 Mg ha<sup>−1</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup> threshold. Four years later, the new Technosols showed a fourfold increase in soluble organic-C content (up to 0.59 g kg<sup>−1</sup>) and higher soil respiration rates compared to the mine spoils and lignite powder in the surrounding degraded quarry areas. No significant differences were observed in any parameters due to superficial slurry application. Addressing salinity and optimizing vegetation cover are crucial for the successful formation and sustainability of Technosols in these environments.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8789/9/1/7erosionmicrobial activitymining filednitratesrunoffsalt-tolerant plants |
| spellingShingle | Àngela D. Bosch-Serra Mónica Sorribas Pere Gómez-Reig Rosa M. Poch Revegetation and Quality Indicators of Technosols in Restored Mine Fields with Saline Mine Spoils Soil Systems erosion microbial activity mining filed nitrates runoff salt-tolerant plants |
| title | Revegetation and Quality Indicators of Technosols in Restored Mine Fields with Saline Mine Spoils |
| title_full | Revegetation and Quality Indicators of Technosols in Restored Mine Fields with Saline Mine Spoils |
| title_fullStr | Revegetation and Quality Indicators of Technosols in Restored Mine Fields with Saline Mine Spoils |
| title_full_unstemmed | Revegetation and Quality Indicators of Technosols in Restored Mine Fields with Saline Mine Spoils |
| title_short | Revegetation and Quality Indicators of Technosols in Restored Mine Fields with Saline Mine Spoils |
| title_sort | revegetation and quality indicators of technosols in restored mine fields with saline mine spoils |
| topic | erosion microbial activity mining filed nitrates runoff salt-tolerant plants |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8789/9/1/7 |
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