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Modification of Hydraulic Conductivity and Aggregation in Pyritic Mine Tailings Materials with Sludge and Decomposable Phyto-Organics

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Geobiotechnological Solutions to Anthropogenic Disturbances

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Abstract

The physical character of acid sulfate soils preclude agricultural usage for crop growth. An experiment was conducted to determine the effectiveness of green manure and sewage sludge to improve the aggregation and hydraulic conductivity of (1) a pyritic mine tailing and (2) its leachate residue. As sludge is often used as a growth medium in mine spoils, the ability of green manure to improve its physical characteristics was also investigated. Only green manure (GM) improved both characteristics of the materials to some extent. In response to green manure, plus sludge (SSGM) or sludge (SS), the mine tailing had the smaller increases in aggregation and infiltration. For the tailings, the effectiveness of the treatments was in the order of GM > SS = SSGM. For leachate residue, effectiveness of treatments was in the order of GM = SSGM > SS. Sludge treated with GM yielded the most stable aggregates, as the mass of aggregates remaining intact after wet-sieving was always at least 50 % higher than that of all other samples. After treatment with green manure, the hydraulic conductivity of the tailings leachate residue was three times as great as that of the tailings. Increases in hydraulic conductivity for the green manure-treated sludge were similar to those of the leachate residue. This study showed that GM-impregnated sludge resists wet-sieving to a far greater degree than the sludge to which GM had not been previously applied. This has implications for the treatment of sludge prior to its application to mine-spoils.

Original article: The effects of sludge and green manure on hydraulic conductivity and aggregation in pyritic mine tailings materials. Environmental Geology. 41: 285–296.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Associate Professor Victor Gostin (Department of Geology and Geophysics), Professor Martin Williams (Foundation Professor in the Department of Geographical and Environmental Studies), Dr P. Rengasamy (Department of Soil Science), of the University of Adelaide, and to Dr N. Sethunathan, Visiting Scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation CSIRO) for their constructive comments. The technical support of Adrian Beach, analytical chemist CSIRO) is appreciated. Many thanks to Dr Jenny Bourne of the Department of Geology and Geophysics for kind assistance with the references.

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  1. Department of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Science, Northern Caribbean University, Mandeville, Jamaica

    Mark Anglin Harris

  2. Division of Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Mallavarapu Megharaj

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Harris, M.A., Megharaj, M. (2016). Modification of Hydraulic Conductivity and Aggregation in Pyritic Mine Tailings Materials with Sludge and Decomposable Phyto-Organics. In: Geobiotechnological Solutions to Anthropogenic Disturbances. Environmental Earth Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30465-6_13

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