Mining Wasteland Research Articles

Research on Domestic Non-Governmental Capital Investment Mode of Mining Wasteland

The ecological environmental protection and improvement need massive funds, and these funds mostly belong to the historical account and there’s little economic benefits. Under the condition of socialist market economy, the fund performance is not initiative and positive, unable to achieve the diversification of investment. At the same time, management time of the midium- and small-sized mining wasteland of mines is relatively short, The tax of environmental restoration for mining the mining enterprises have paid is insufficient to use in carrying on completely renovation the destroyed land. Therefore, this article analyzed the domestic non-governmental capital which invests the medium and small sized mining destroyed field based on systems dynamics, and to explore the feasibility of mining improvement as well as discuss private capital investment patterns in order to find the proper governance mode and methods.

云南会泽铅锌矿废弃矿渣堆常见植物内生真菌多样性

The fungi which cause asymptomatic infections in living plant tissues are called endophytic fungi.They comprise diverse groups of fungi and may protect their host plants against the insect pests and phytopathogens,as well as increase hosts fitness in extreme environments.In order to document the ecological relationship between endophytic fungi and their host plants which grown in heavy metal contaminanted soils,the endophytic fungal diversity,the dominant fungi and their host specificity of six dominant plant species(Arabis hirsuta,Acacia decurrens,Symplocos paniculata,Rabbosia eriocalyx,Arenaria serpyllifolia and Rosa longicuspis) collected from the Huize Pb-Zn mine wasteland of Yunnan Province,southwest China,were investigated.A total of 495 culturable endophytic fungi were isolated from 690 stems and leaf segments of the six plant species.The isolation rate of the endophytic fungi in the six plant species ranged from 0.42 to 0.93,and the mean isolation rate was 0.72.The highest isolation rate appeared in R.eriocalyx,and the lowest isolation rate appeared in Ro.longicuspis.It was found that the isolation rate of the endophytic fungi in the stems was significantly higher than that in the leaves(P0.05,t test) in the six plant species.Based on their morphological characteristics,the way of spore production and spore characteristics,the sporulating isolates were identified to genus level.Non-sporulating isolates were identified as mycelia sterile and sorted into different groups based on the colony surface texture,hyphal pigmentation and growth rates after two months sporulation.The fungi were identified to 20 taxa,of which Phoma and Peyronellaea were the dominant endophytic fungi.The endophytic fungal richness of the six plant species was different.The highest endophytic fungal richness appeared in Ara.hirsuta,R.eriocalyx and Ro.longicuspis,from which 13 endophytic fungal taxa were obtained.While,the lowest richness appeared in Aca.decurrens and only nine taxa were found in it.Each plant species harboured one to two dominant fungi.The dominant fungi of Ara.hirsuta,Aca.decurrens and R.eriocalyx were Phoma and Peyronellaea,the relative frequency of them were 47.22% and 27.78%,73.33% and 16%,48.21% and 27.68%,respectively.Alternaria was the dominant fungi of S.paniculata,the relative frequency was 46.67%.The dominant fungi of Are.serpyllifolia were Alternaria and Peyronellaea,the relative frequency was 26.74% and 25.58%,respectively.The dominant fungi of Ro.longicuspis were Phoma and Alternaria,the relative frequency was 33.34% and 15.56%,respectively.The diversity index of endophytic fungi in the six plant species ranged from 1.05 to 2.29,which was similar to the diversity index of other non-polluted environments,suggesting that there are various heavy metal-resistant endophytic fungi in heavy metal contaminated areas.Besides,the diversity index of endophytic fungi from stems was 0.98—2.13,it was higher than that from leaves(0.69—1.79).Furthermore,we also found that the similarity index of the endophytic fungi in the six plant species ranged from 0.455 to 0.833,and the highest similarity index appeared in S.paniculata and Ro.longicuspis(0.833),and the lowest similarity index appeared in Aca.decurrens and Ro.longicuspis,it was only 0.455.These results indicated that the host specificity of these endophytic fungi in the Pb-Zn mine wasteland was lower.

Study on Sustainable Utilization Strategy of the Mining Wastelands

Abstract With the development of mining, our country's land was damaged more and more. The contradiction between man and land in mining areas has become sharp. During the long time, we look down on environmental protection. It makes mining area and their surrounding area have environmental pollution, ecological degradation and a serious threat to the human quality of life. This article through field surveys summarizes theory and technology of the mining wastelands and puts forward some existing questions and solutions.

Geochemistry and genotoxicity of the heavy metals in mine-abandoned areas and wasteland in the Hetai goldfields, Guangdong Province, China

The article presents the geochemical and biogeochemical characteristics of heavy metal elements within the soil-plant system in the Hetai mine-abandoned areas and wasteland, China. The cytogenetic toxic effects of gold mine wastelands environment on the chromosome and micronucleus were analyzed by genetic methods. The results showed that abundances of Au and Au-associated heavy metal elements such as Cu, As, Cd, Pb and Hg in soils, plants and the pigments in those abandoned mine areas were much higher than those in the background region. The cell structures of the plants in the abandoned mine areas were anomalous and aberrant, and there were many nano-metal particles diffused in the cells. Moreover, the heavy metal elements in those abandoned mine areas had entered the ultrastructure and caused toxicities to the organism.

Diversity and heavy metal tolerance of endophytic fungi from six dominant plant species in a Pb–Zn mine wasteland in China

Abstract The diversity and metal tolerance of endophytic fungi from six dominant plant species in a Pb–Zn mine wasteland in Yunnan, China were investigated. Four hundred and ninety-five endophytic fungi were isolated from 690 tissue segments. The endophytic fungal colonization extent and isolation extent ranged from 59 % to 75 %, and 0.42–0.93, respectively, and a positive correlation was detected between them. Stems harboured more endophytic fungi than leaves in each plant species, and the average colonization extent of stems was 82 %, being significantly higher than that of leaves (47 %) (P ≤ 0.001, chi-square test). The fungi were identified to 20 taxa in which Phoma, Alternaria and Peyronellaea were the dominant genera and the relative frequencies of them were 39.6 %, 19.0 % and 20.4 %, respectively. Metal tolerance test showed that 3.6 mM Pb2+ or 11.5 mM Zn2+ exhibited the greatest toxicity to some isolates and they did not grow on the metal-amended media. In contrast, some isolates were growth stimulated in the presence of tested metals. The isolates of Phoma were more sensitive to Zn2+ than the isolates of Alternaria and Peyronellaea. However, the sensitivity of isolates to Pb2+ was not significantly different among Phoma, Alternaria, Peyronellaea and other taxa (P > 0.05, chi-square test). Our results suggested that fungal endophyte colonization in Pb–Zn polluted plants is moderately abundant and some isolates have a marked adaptation to Pb2+ and Zn2+ metals, which has a potential application in phytoremediation in this area.

Diversity of free-living nitrogen-fixing microorganisms in wastelands of copper mine tailings during the process of natural ecological restoration

Biological nitrogen fixing is an important source of nitrogen input in the natural ecological restoration of mine wastelands. The diversity of nifH genes in tailings samples under different plant communities in Yangshanchong and Tongguanshan wastelands in Tongling, was analyzed using polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) approach. The nitrogen-fixing microorganism community in the upper layer of tailings of Tongguanshan wasteland discarded in 1980 showed higher Shannon-Wiener diversity index than that in Yangshanchong wasteland discarded in 1991. The diversity of nifH genes in Yangshanchong wasteland of copper mine tailings did not display a consistent successional tendency with development of plant communities during the process of natural ecological restoration. Phylogenetic analysis of 25 sequences of nifH gene fragments retrieved from the DGGE gels indicated that there were mainly two taxa of free-living nitrogen-fixing microorganisms, Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria living in the wastelands investigated, most of which were unique and uncultured. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) based on the relationship between band patterns of DGGE profile and physico-chemical properties of tailings samples showed that the diversity of nifH genes in different tailing samples was mainly affected by loss of ignition, water content, pH and available Zn contents of wastelands. The dominant plant species and development period of plant communities by ameliorating pH, reducing the toxicity of heavy metals, increasing organic matter and water content affected the diversity and structure of the free-living nitrogen-fixing microorganisms in wastelands of copper mine tailings.

Characterization of ACC deaminase-producing endophytic bacteria isolated from copper-tolerant plants and their potential in promoting the growth and copper accumulation of Brassica napus

One hundred Cu-resistant-endophytic bacteria were isolated from Cu-tolerant plants grown on Cu mine wasteland, of which, eight Cu-resistant and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase-producing endophytic bacteria were obtained based on the ACC deaminase activity of the bacteria and characterized with respect to metal resistance, production of ACC deaminase, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) as well as siderophores and mineral phosphate solubilization. Ralstonia sp. J1-22-2, Pantoea agglomerans Jp3-3, and Pseudomonas thivervalensis Y1-3-9 with higher ACC deaminase activity (ranging from 213 to 370 μM α-ketobutyrate mg −1 h −1) were evaluated for promoting plant growth and Cu uptake of rape grown in quartz sand containing 0, 2.5, and 5 mg kg −1 of Cu in pot experiments. The eight bacteria were found to exhibit different multiple heavy metal resistance characteristics, to show different levels of ACC deaminase activity and to produce indole acetic acid. Seven bacteria produced siderophores and solubilized inorganic phosphate. Pot experiments showed that inoculation with the strains (J1-22-2, Jp3-3, and Y1-3-9) was found to increase the biomass of rape. Increases in above-ground tissue Cu contents of rape cultivated in 2.5 and 5 mg kg −1 of Cu-contaminated substrates varied from 9% to 31% and from 3 to 4-fold respectively in inoculated-rape plants compared to the uninoculated control. The maximum Cu uptake of rape was observed after inoculation with P. agglomerans Jp3-3. The results show that metal-resistant and plant growth promoting endophytic bacteria play an important role in plant growth and Cu uptake which may provide a new endophytic bacterial-assisted phytoremediation of Cu-contaminated environment.

Evaluating and modeling ecosystem service loss of coal mining: A case study of Mentougou district of Beijing, China

With fast urbanization and industrialization, the unreasonable exploitation of the natural resources has led to some environmental problems in the world. It needs to evaluate the ecological and environmental loss resulted from resource exploitation and set up an effective ecological compensation mechanism to promote the sustainable using of resources. Taking the Mentougou district of West Beijing in China as the case study, comprehensively applying the theory of ecosystem service, ecological economics, social investigation and analysis, and other research methods, the mined coal value and its corresponding loss of ecosystem services in Mentougou district of Beijing, China were evaluated in this paper. According to the research results, the economic value of mined coal resource in Mentougou district was about $870 million, and the corresponding loss of ecosystem services caused by coal mining was approximately $2001 million, including the loss due to land occupancy by waste coal, mining sink, reclamation for mining waste land, and water and soil loss in the past 50 years. So, in fact, the ecological and environmental loss caused by coal mining was far more than its economic benefits. This article can provide a scientific basis for ecological restoration and compensation of natural resource protection and utilization in other similar areas in China as well as in Western countries.

An Environmentally Sound Usage of both Coal Mining Residue and Sludge

This study reported the test done on coal gangue-fly ash-sludge mixture for mine wasteland reclamation in pot experiments. According to the characteristic of coal gangue, fly ash and sludge, they were mixed as the complex substrate for reclamation of mine wasteland; meanwhile, arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) was also introduced to the reclamation of mine wasteland. The experimental research of the complex substrate and AMF in mine wasteland reclamation was conducted. The results indicated that coal gangue-fly ash-sludge mixture ratio studies revealed that 2: 6: 2 fly ash-coal gangue-sludge mixtures was the optimum mixture ratio that minimized toxic element and provided sufficient nutrients. It resulted that appropriate ratio of the three composite can effectively promote the reclamation, and increase the nutrients absorption of plants, providing a reference for ecological utilization of coal gangue, and fly ash and sludge. In addition, inoculation with AMF in the presence of sludge in mining reclamation was essential for the promotion of plant absorption of nutrients.

Acidification, heavy metal mobility and nutrient accumulation in the soil–plant system of a revegetated acid mine wasteland

A revegetation program was established at an extreme acidic and metal-toxic pyrite/copper mine wasteland in Guangdong Province, PR China using a combination of four native grass species and one non-native woody species. It was continued and monitored for 2y. The emphasis was on acidification, metal mobility and nutrient accumulation in the soil–plant system. Our results showed the following: (i) the acid-forming potential of the mine soils decreased steadily with time, which might be due to plant root-induced changes inhibiting the oxidization of sulphide minerals; (ii) heavy metal extractability (diethylene-triamine-pentaacetic acid-extractable Pb and Zn) in the soils increased with time despite an increase in soil pH, which might be attributed to soil disturbance and plant rhizospheric processes, as well as a consequence of the enhanced metal accumulation in plants over time; and (iii) the vegetation cover increased rapidly with time, and plant development accelerated the accumulation of major nutrients (organic matter, total and ammonium-N, and available P and K). The 2-y field experiment demonstrates that direct seeding/planting of native plant species in combination with lime and manure amelioration is a practical approach to the initial establishment of a self-sustaining vegetation cover on this metalliferous and sulphide-bearing mine wasteland. However, heavy metal accumulation in the soil–plant system should be of great concern, and long-term monitoring of ecological risk must be an integral part of such a restoration scheme.

Factor Analysis of Mining Waste Land Development Based on ISM

The long-term exploitation of mineral resources, not only destroyed the natural landscape such as topography, but also triggered a series of ecological and social problems. This paper analyzed influencing factors and process of mining waste land development based on Interpretative Structural Modeling (ISM), and found a structural model. The results told that the Government played an important role in mining waste land development. The government promotes the mining waste land development by influencing the environmental, economic and infrastructure, and makes the waste land fully reflects its economic, social and environmental values.

Characterization of copper-resistant bacteria and assessment of bacterial communities in rhizosphere soils of copper-tolerant plants

Thirteen copper-resistant bacteria were isolated from copper-tolerant plant species growing on a copper mine wasteland. The isolates were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and characterized by their resistance to heavy metals and plant growth-promoting characteristics. The assessment of the bacterial communities in the rhizosphere soils of copper-tolerant plants was measured as bands in denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) obtained directly from rhizosphere soil DNA extracts. The isolates were found to exhibit different multiple heavy metal resistance characteristics. Strains SZY6, YJ7 and JYC17 were found to produce indole acetic acid (IAA), siderophore, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase or to solubilize phosphate. Root elongation assay conducted on rape under gnotobiotic conditions with strains MT16, JYC17, SZY6, GZC24, and YJ7 demonstrated increase (from 16 to 41%) in root elongation of inoculated rape seedlings compared to the control plants. In the rhizosphere soil samples the DGGE profiles of the direct DNA extracts were similar. The DGGE profiles indicated that there was no significant correlation between the concentration of available copper in the rhizosphere soils and the number of the visible bands in the DGGE pattern.

Genetic diversity and characterization of heavy metal-resistant-endophytic bacteria from two copper-tolerant plant species on copper mine wasteland

The diversity of endophytic bacteria from the copper-tolerant species Elsholtzia splendens and Commelina communis was evaluated by using cultivation and cultivation-independent techniques. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA sequences showed that the Cu-resistant isolates belonged to three major phylogenetic groups: Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. Bacillus and Acinetobacter were predominant among the Cu-resistant isolates. Sequence analysis from the 16S rDNA clone libraries of the two plant roots revealed sequences of Alpha-, Beta-, Gamma- Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Gammaproteobacteria was predominant in the two 16S rDNA clone libraries. Thirty-two endophytic bacteria were isolated and characterized with respect to heavy metal resistance and production of plant growth-promoting factors. In experiments involving rape plants grown in vermiculite containing 4 mg kg −1 of Cu, inoculation with the isolates was found to increase the dry weights of roots (ranging from 132% to 155%) and above-ground tissues (ranging from 71% to 83%) compared to the uninoculated control. Increase in above-ground tissue Cu content varied from 63% to 125% in inoculated-rape plants cultivated in Cu-contaminated substrate compared to the uninoculated control.

Manganese uptake and accumulation in a woody hyperaccumulator, Schima superba

A wide-spread subtropical tree species, <I>Schima superba (Theaceae)</I>, occurring in a Mn mine wasteland, was found to contain unusually high Mn content in the leaf tissues. A pot growth experiment with different Mn treatments was conducted to further illustrate its Mn tolerance, accumulation and relocation capacity. <I>Schima</I> saplings grew well and showed no symptoms of Mn toxicity with Mn supply below 60 mmol/l. Total plant biomass decreased with the increase of Mn supply, but Mn contents in tissues increased significantly, and peaked (62 412.3 mg/kg) in stem at 150 mmol/l treatment. Under all treatments, Mn concentrations in the aboveground tissues were constantly greater than those in roots. When the external Mn supply was over 40 mmol/l, the Mn levels in the leaves and stems all exceeded 10 000 mg/kg, the suggested value for Mn hyperaccumulation. Most of the Mn taken from the substrates were transported to the aboveground tissues, e.g. over 86% accumulated in the aboveground parts at 150 mmol/l treatment. These findings confirmed that Schima superba is a Mn hyperaccumulator.

Heavy Metal Contamination in Soils and Phytoaccumulation in a Manganese Mine Wasteland, South China

Heavy metal contamination of minesoils is a widespread problem in China. In Pingle manganese mineland in Guangxi (south China), heavy metal concentrations in soils and dominant plants were determined, and soil contamination was assessed with pollution index (Pi) and index of geoaccumulation (I-geo). Pi showed the minesoil was heavily polluted by Cd and slightly polluted by Cr. I-geo showed a severer pollution for all metals (except for Mn) than Pi because I-geo tended to overestimate the real pollution effect of minesoil. Fresh tailings dam had both the highest Pi and I-geo among the four sites indicating a high metal contamination. All the “bio-available” fractions of the studied metals were below 5% of the totals. Dominant plants tended to accumulate higher Cd and Cr, and showed higher Mn translocation to aboveground parts. Besides the agricultural reclamation, more diverse restoration goals with lower environmental risks should be considered for the Mn mine wastelands in South China.

Vegetation index analysis of multi‐source remote sensing data in coal mine wasteland

Thirty‐six soil samples were collected and their hyperspectral data used to calculate vegetation indices such as a normalised difference vegetation index (NDVT) and a difference vegetation index (DVT). These were evaluated for typical surface object features within the wastelands around Haizhou Opencast Coal Mine in Fuxin city. Aprincipal component analysis to the hyperspectral data was performed, and the result showed that the first and the second principal components satisfactorily accounted for the multi‐spectral image information. The panchromatic and multi‐spectral images of SPOT5 were then merged. The panchromatic image replaced the first principal component to improve spatial resolution of the image. In addition, the multispectral images and the NDVT image were classified into six types using the unsupervised classification method. The linear quantitative models were built up and the highest correlation coefficients were obtained between the hyperspectral vegetation index and the vegetation index data from the SPOT5 image. The results show that the hyperspectral data and remote sensing images can be used for quantitative estimation of soil nutrients in coal mine wasteland. They can also provide large area surface information for fast and effective decision making regarding revegetation and the monitoring of dynamic change.

Effect of heavy metals on substrate utilization pattern, biomass, and activity of microbial communities in a reclaimed mining wasteland of red soil area

The microbial biomass, basal respiration, and substrate utilization pattern in a copper mining wasteland of red soil area, southern China, were investigated, and indicated that soil microflora were obviously affected by heavy metals. Microbial biomass and basal respiration were negatively affected by comparatively high heavy metal levels. Two important microbial ecophysiological parameters, namely, the microbial biomass C ( C mic)/microbial biomass N ( N mic) ratio and the metabolic quotient ( qCO 2) were significantly correlated to heavy metal stress. There was a significant decrease in the C mic/ N mic ratio and an increase in the metabolic quotient with increasing metal concentration. Multivariate analysis of Biolog data for sole carbon source utilization pattern demonstrated that heavy metal pollution had a significant impact on microbial community structure and functional diversity. All the results showed that soil microbiological parameters could have great potential as sensitive, effective, and liable indicators of the stresses or perturbations in soils of mining ecosystems.

Ecological restoration of mineland with particular reference to the metalliferous mine wasteland in China: A review of research and practice

Despite a principal contributor to the rapid economic growth, the mining industry in China produced a large amount of wasteland and caused water pollution and soil erosion as well as other environmental damages. In 2002, this industry generated 265.4 Mt tailings, 130.4 Mt gangue and 107.8 Mt smelting slags. The degraded land associated with mining is estimated to be 3.2 Mha by the end of 2004, deteriorating the land shortage of China. Restoration of mine wasteland began in late 1970s but the restoration process was sluggish. The overall restoration rate (the ratio of reclaimed land area to the total degraded land area) of mine wasteland was some 10–12% with a higher rate for coal mine spoils but a lower rate for metal-mined derelict land. From 1994 to 2004, 149 research papers were published about the restoration of China's mining wasteland, of which 70 were on metal-mined land and 61 on the non-metal-mined land. Although 37 institutions in China were involved in the restoration research, only a few remained active and productive. Metal-mined derelict land is often more metal toxic and deficient of macronutrients and is tougher for revegetation. Many substrate amelioration techniques were proposed and tolerant plant species were tested for use of reclamation of the metal-mined tailings. Five hyperaccumulator species have been reported in China for the potential use in phytoremediation. However, these accomplishments were all at laboratory or small-scale field demonstration stage and still far from the practical use in reality. To accelerate the restoration and utilization of mine wasteland, several recommendations are put forward in this review. Above these suggestions, the commitment and efficiency of the government at all levels are vital.

Physiological aspects of vetiver grass for rehabilitation in abandoned metalliferous mine wastes

Physiological aspects of why vetiver grass ( Vetiveria zizanioides L.) can be tolerant to heavy metals and be used as an alternative method for rehabilitation of abandoned metalliferous mine wastelands have been investigated. The results showed that high proportions of lead and zinc (Pb/Zn) tailing greatly inhibited the leaf growth, dry matter accumulation, and photosynthesis of leaves, but stimulated the accumulation of proline and abscisic acid (ABA), and enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT), implying that different mechanisms to detoxify active oxygen species (AOS) existed in different parts of plants. Physiological responses to heavy metal treatments differed greatly between roots and shoots. Nitrogen fertilizer application could greatly alleviate the adverse effects of high proportions of Pb/Zn tailing on vetiver grass growth.

Communities of mites (Acari) on old galena-calamine mining wastelands at Galman, Poland

Communities of mites (Acari) on old galena-calamine mining wastelands at Galman, Poland