Abstract
To explore rare earth mine tailings improvement technology without soil dressing, we planted Chinese cabbage in pots to determine the effect of different amounts of lime combined with fertilizer on the improvement of ionic rare earth mine tailings, aiming to provide a scientific basis for the reclamation of abandoned ionic rare earth mines. The results showed that the soil substrate of the tested rare earth tailings exhibited four forms of degradation: soil acidification, soil desertification, nutrient depletion, and heavy metal contamination by rare earth elements (REEs). The application of fertilizer alone (CK treatment) did not support Chinese cabbage growth, whereas different amounts of lime combined with fertilizer supported plant growth and significantly reduced the activity of the rare earth heavy metals. The height, fresh weight, and REE content of the Chinese cabbage plants were significantly reduced with an increase in the amount of lime applied. Addition of lime not only significantly improved the soil pore space and reduced soil acidification but also significantly increased the soil nutrient content. Our findings suggest that lime combined with fertilizer can improve ionic rare earth mine tailing soil degradation, thus promoting plant growth and achieving the improvement of ionic rare earth mine tailings without soil dressing.
Highlights
Rare earth elements (REEs) are widely used in various national economy fields
For many types of soil degradation, different soil amendments can be used in combination to enhance the restoration effect, which is a major measure of soil ecological restoration in mining areas [11, Adsorption Science & Technology
0 Sand a ab b b high levels of available N and total K, but relatively deficient and deficient levels of total P and available K, respectively, whereas organic matter content, available P, and total N were all highly deficient. These results indicated that different nutrients in the soil substrate of the rare earth tailings occurred in different amounts, but overall, there was a deficiency of nutrients
Summary
Rare earth elements (REEs) are widely used in various national economy fields. In particular, heavy REEs are crucial to the development of high-tech industries, modernization, and national defense [1]. As the main source of heavy RREs, ionic rare earth ores are minerals in which REEs are adsorbed on the weathering crust of granite in an ionic form, and their mining requires the use of a leaching agent containing a large number of chemically active cations (Na+, NH4+, H+, and Mg2+) to replace and desorb the ionic REEs [2] This unique mining process leads to differing degrees of contamination of soil and water resources in mining areas, and pollutants can migrate through the water and soil into the food chain, eventually becoming hazardous to human health [3,4,5]. For many types of soil degradation, different soil amendments can be used in combination to enhance the restoration effect, which is a major measure of soil ecological restoration in mining areas [11, Adsorption Science & Technology
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.