Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Rehabilitation of Soils in Mining and Raw Material Extraction Areas

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Soil Remediation and Rehabilitation

Part of the book series: Environmental Pollution ((EPOL,volume 23))

Abstract

Coal, salt and ore mining areas and areas where other raw materials are extracted, such as quarries, pits of unconsolidated rock and harvested peatland, are anthropogenically strongly disturbed terrains which, apart from the ore mining sites, do not indicate contamination with toxic substances. Nevertheless, in relation to the pedogenically developed soil and the vegetation cover, they exhibit large-scale complete removal in the case of opencast mining, quarries, open pits and peatland. The formerly used areas must be rehabilitated, which can be arranged in different ways. Opencast lignite coal areas are either reclaimed for agriculture, forestry or recreational purposes or are restored in conjunction with the establishment of nature reserves. In this chapter, technical applications for ensuring reclamation and measures to initiate new vegetation are explained. The development of natural succession and treatment of controlled restoration are introduced in association with the natural reserves. The creation of mining lakes is also described. By way of analogy, rehabilitation measures in quarries and pits of unconsolidated rock, which mainly focus on natural succession of vegetation or implementation of woodland, are taken into consideration. Regarding ore mining areas which produce large-scale tailing ponds, special attention is paid to the heavy metal contamination and the opportunities to treat it. Furthermore, the restoration of differently harvested peatland types (bogs, fens) which is aimed at the regeneration of this landscape type is introduced in detail. The long-term processes of rewetting, re-naturation and regeneration are considered in different climates. Apart from the mining and raw material exploitation, which influences large areas, underground mining, which is associated with coal, salt and ore mining heaps and their environmental impacts, is discussed. The rehabilitation approaches for the mining heaps consisting of material with extreme physico-chemical properties form an important topic of this chapter. In this context, solutions for subsided mining terrains resulting from underground mining are considered as well.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abakumov, E. V. (2000). Soils of recultivated quarries of North-west of Russia. 1st international conference on soils of urban, industrial, traffic and mining areas. Proceedings, Vol. III, pp. 1821–825, Essen.

    Google Scholar 

  • AG 2006 – Australian Government. (2006). Mine development program for mining industry. Commonwealth of Australia. Rehabilitation. Leading Practice Sustainable.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andriesse, J. P. (1988). Nature and management of tropical peat soils. FAO – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. http://www.fao.org/docrep/x5872e/x5872e07.htm. Accessed 15 Feb 2012.

  • Anonymous. (2010). Guidelines for peatland restoration. Peatlands and Uplands Biodiversity Delivery Group. http://www.qpani.org/documents/PeatlandRestorationguidelinesfinal.pdf. Accessed 18 Feb 2012.

  • Boles, P. (1983). Shrub cover and density on Western rangelands in relation to reclamation success standards for surface mined lands in Wyoming. Lexington: OES Publications, University of Kentucky.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bord na Mona. (2001). Raised bog information leaflet. http://www.bnm.ie/files/20061124040538raisedbogs.pdf. Accessed 3 Mar 2012.

  • Brady, N. C., & Weil, R. R. (2008). The nature and properties of soils. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • BRGM – DG Environment. (2001). Management of mining, quarrying and ore-processing waste in the European Union 2001. European Commission, BRGM/RP-50319-FR.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carter, T. G., Mackasey, W. O., & Steed, C. M. (1995, June). Coordinated approach to remediation of abandoned mine hazards. Proceedings conference on mining and the environment, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chiasson, L., & Chiasson, G. (2000). Cranberry culture as a reclamation option. In L. Rochefort & J.-Y. Daigle (Eds.), Proceedings of the 11th international peat congress, 2000, Quebec, Canada. Shippagan: International Peat Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooke, J. A., & Johnson, M. S. (2002). Ecological restoration of land with particular reference to the mining of metals and industrial minerals: A review of theory and practice. Environmental Reviews, 10, 41–71.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dommain, R., Couwenberg, J., & Joosten, H. (2010). Hydrological self-regulation of domed peatlands in south-east Asia and consequences for conservation and restoration. Mires and Peat, 6, 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drecker, P., Genske, D. D., Heinrich, K., & Noll, H. P. (1995, October). Subsidence and wetland development in the Ruhr district of Germany. In Land Subsidence, Proceedings 5th International Symposium on Land Subsidence, The Hague, the Netherlands.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durant, W. (2011). Land subsidence in Western Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh Geological Society. www.pittsburghgeologicalsociety.org/subsidence. Accessed 1 Dec 2011.

  • EPA – Environmental Protection Agency (of the United States). (2008). Carlson’s trophic state index. Aquatic Biodiversity. www.epa.gov/bioindicators/aquatic/carlson.html. Accessed 15 Oct 2011.

  • Finell, M., (2003). The use of reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinaceae) as a short fibre rawmaterial for the pulp and paper industry. Dissertation Acta Universitatis Agriculturae Sueciae, Uppsala, Sweden.

    Google Scholar 

  • GOA – Government of Australia. (1995a). Revegetation methods. Guideline for the revegetation of mined areas. www.derm.qld.gov.au/register/p01206ba.pdf. Accessed 19 Mar 2012.

  • GOA – Government of Australia. (1995b). Assessment and management of saline/sodic wastes. www.derm.qld.gov.au/register/p01206an.pdf. Accessed 30 Mar 2012.

  • Gorham, E., & Rochefort, L. (2003). Peatland restoration: A brief assessment with special reference to Sphagnum bogs. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 11, 109–119.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grandt, A. F. (1988). Productivity of reclaimed lands – Cropland. In Reclamation of surface mined lands (Vol. I). Boca Raton: CRC Press Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grzesik, K., & Mikolajczak, J. (2009). The extractive waste management from hard coal mines in Poland. Institute of Environmental Protection and Management, AGH-UST University of Science and Technology, Krakow.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heiden, S., Erb, R., Liebmann, H., & Kahle, K. (2001). Potash mining – Environmental impact and chance. Berlin: Erich Schmidt (in German).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hersche, B., & Wenker, O. (2000). Case report: Lassing mining accident. The Internet Journal of Rescue and Disaster Medicine, 1(2). www.ispub.com/journal/the-internet-journal-of-rescue-and-disaster-medicine/volume-2-number-1/case-report-lassing-mining-accident.html. Accessed 31 Oct 2012.

  • Hörnsten, L., (1992). Treatments of peat bogs harvested by deep digging technique. Vattenfall Research, Vällingby, Sweden. (in Swedish)

    Google Scholar 

  • IPCC – Irish Peatland Conservation Council. (2008). Restoration of drained peatlands. http://www.ipcc.ie/diymandrained.html. Accessed 1 Feb 2012.

  • Jedrczak, A. (1992). Chemical composition of water of anthropogenic lake district in the Luk Muzakowski. Zielona Gora, WSI, 54, 144 p. (in Polish)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jochimsen, M. E. (2001). Vegetation development and species assemblages in a long-term reclamation project on mine spoil. Ecological Engineering, 17, 187–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M. S., Cooke, J. A., & Stevenson, J. K. (1994). Revegetation of metalliferous wastes and land after metal mining. In R. E. Hester & R. M. Harison (Eds.), Mining and its environmental impact (Issues environmental science and technology). Letchworth: Royal Society of Chemistry.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahl, L., Kluge, R., & Thomas, S. (2000). Evaluation of an attempt to cultivate shrubs and trees on a heap of a potash mine. Landscape and Urban Planning, 51, 109–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khan, M. J., & Jones, D. L. (2008). Chemical and organic immobilization treatments for reducing phytoavailability of heavy metals in copper-mine tailings. Journal of Plant Nutrient and Soil Science, 171, 908–916.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Klapper, H. (2003). Technologies for lake restoration. Journal of Limnology, 62, 73–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Komnitsas, K., Paspaliaris, I., Zilberchmidt, M., & Groudev, S. (2001). Environmental impacts of coal waste disposal sites – Efficiency of desulfurization technologies. Global Nest: The International Journal, 3, 109–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lamers, L. P. M., Smolders, A. J. P., & Roelofs, J. G. M. (2002). The restoration of fens in the Netherlands. Hydrobiologia, 478, 107–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leinonen, A., Lindh, T., Paappanen, T., Kallio, E., Flyktman, M., Hakkarainen, J., Käyhkö, V., Peronius, P., Puuronen, M., & Mikkonen, T., (1998). Cultivation and production of reed canary grass for mixed fuel as a method for reclamation of a peat production area. In: T. Malterer, K. Johnson, & J. Stewart (Eds.), Peatland restoration and reclamation-techniques and regulatory considerations. Proceedings international peat symposium, Duluth, Minnesota. Jyväsklyä: International Peat Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lucha, P., Cardona, F., Gutierrez, F., & Guerrero, J. (2008). Natural and human-induced dissolution and subsidence processes in the salt outcrop of Cardona Diapir (NE Spain). Environmental Geology, 53, 1023–1035.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lücke, M. (1997). Investigations of the rehabilitation of potash mining waste heaps. Dissertation University of Kassel-Witzenhausen. (in German)

    Google Scholar 

  • Luscar Ltd, Cardinal River Coals Ltd, Pisces Environmental Consulting Services Ltd, & Bighorn Environmental Design Ltd. (1994). Development of sports fisheries in lakes created by coal mining operations in the Eastern slopes. Alberta: Edmonton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Makineci, E., Gungor, B. S., & Kumbasli, M. (2011). Natural plant revegetation on reclaimed coal mine landscapes in Agacli-Istanbul. African Journal of Biotechnology, 10, 3248–3259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Makowsky, L, Nix, K. Meuser, H., Yan, J., & Xu, L. (2010, September). Towards a sustainable use of cover soil for agricultural reclamation of coal mining waste and fly ash deposits. In Proceedings International Workshop on Diffuse Pollution-Management Measures and Control Technique, Huainan, China.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCarthy, D. F. (2007). Essentials of soil mechanics and foundations. Upper Saddle River: Pearson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meuser, H. (2010). Contaminated urban soils. Dordrecht: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Monaghan, M. M. (2007). Design, signage and maintenance guidelines: Waterfront trail. www.waterfronttrail.org/library-publications.html. Accessed 10 Jan 2012.

  • Norman, D. K., Wampler, P. J., Throop, A. H., Schnitzer, E. F., & Roloff, J. M. (1997). Best management practices for reclaiming surface mines in Washington and Oregon. Open file report Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources and Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pflug, W. (Ed.). (1998). Lignite coal opencast mines and rehabilitation. Berlin: Springer (in German).

    Google Scholar 

  • Price, J. S., Heathwaite, A. L., & Baird, A. (2003). Hydrological processes in abandoned and restored peatlands: An overview of management approaches. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 11, 65–83.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Price, J. S., & Whitehead, G. S. (2001). Developing hydrological thresholds for Sphagnum recolonization on an abandoned cutover bog. Wetlands, 21, 32–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quinty, F., & Rochefort, L. (2003). Peatland restoration guide. Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy. Quebec, Canada. http://www.peatmoss.com/pdf/Englishbook.pdf. Accessed 28 Jan 2012.

  • Resulovic, H. (2000). Specific processes in minesoils in postrecultivated period . Proceedings Vol. 3. Paper presented at the 1st international conference on soils of urban, industrial, traffic and mining areas, pp. 993–997, Essen, Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rochefort, L., Quinty, F., Campeau, S., Johnson, K., & Malterer, T. (2003). North American approach to the restoration of Sphagnum dominated peatlands. Wetland Ecology Management, 11, 3–20.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ruzek, L., Vorisek, K., Vrablikova, J., Strnadova, S., & Vrablik, P. (2003). Chemical and biological characteristics of reclaimed soils in the most region (Czech Republic). Plant Soil Environment, 49, 346–351.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Salazar, M., Bosch, A. D., & Poch, R. M. (2000). Restoration of soils of coal mining areas using pig slurry in semiarid Mediterranean environments. 1st international conference on soils of urban, industrial, traffic and mining areas. Proceedings, Vol. III, pp. 1001–1006, Essen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaaf, W., Gast, M., Wilden, R., & Hüttl, R. F. (2000). Development of element cycles at post-mining sites. 1st international conference on soils of urban, industrial, traffic and mining areas. Proceedings, Vol. III, pp. 1015–1021, Essen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schraps, W. G., Schneider, S., & Baumgarten, H. (2000). Soil investigations for reclamation of spoil heaps. Proceedings Vol. 3. Paper presented at the 1st international conference on soils of urban, industrial, traffic and mining areas, Essen, Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schulz, D. (1996). Recultivation of mining waste dumps in the Ruhr area, Germany. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 91, 89–98.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scullion, J. (2000). Long-term studies of soil improvement after opencast coal mining. 1st international conference on soils of urban, industrial, traffic and mining areas. Proceedings, Vol. III, pp. 1059–1064, Essen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silvan, N. (2004). Nutrient retention in a restored peatland buffer. Academic dissertation, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, Finland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sokolovska, M., Bech, J., & Delkov, A. (2000). Forest vegetation peculiarities of waste banks from underground coal production. Proceedings Vol. 3. Paper presented at the 1st international conference on soils of urban, industrial, traffic and mining areas, Essen, Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  • Soro, A., Sundberg, S., & Rydin, H. (1999). Species diversity, niche metrics and species associations in harvested and undisturbed bogs. Journal of Vegetation Sciences, 10, 549–560.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Svoboda, I. (1993). Land restoration in the North Czech Brown Coal Basin: The new challenges and opportunities. International Journal of Environmental Issues in Minerals and Energy Industry, 118, 151–154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thornburg, A. A. (1982). Plant material for use on surface-mined lands in arid and semi-arid regions (SCS-TP-157). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture

    Google Scholar 

  • UFZ – Centre for Environmental Research. (1999). Remediation of abandoned surface coal mining sites (Report No. 11). Leipzig-Halle: UFZ – Centre for Environmental Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vasander, H., Tuittila, E. S., Lode, E., Lundin, L., Ilomets, M., Sallantaus, T., Heikkilä, R., Pitkänen, M.-L., & Laine, J. (2003). Status and restoration of peatlands in northern Europe. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 11, 51–63.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wedepohl, K. H. (1995). The composition of the continental crust. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 59, 1217–1232.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, B. D., Shaw, S. C., Fojt, W. J., & Robertson, R. A. (Eds.). (1995). Restoration of temperate wetlands. Chichester: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty A&L, University of Applied Sciences, Osnabrück, Germany

    Helmut Meuser

Authors
  1. Helmut Meuser
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Helmut Meuser .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Meuser, H. (2013). Rehabilitation of Soils in Mining and Raw Material Extraction Areas. In: Soil Remediation and Rehabilitation. Environmental Pollution, vol 23. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5751-6_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation