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Enhanced Plant Restoration in Open-Pit Mines Using Maize Straw and Ultrasonically Pre-Treated Coal Fly Ash

Author

Listed:
  • Xiang Lu

    (School of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
    State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
    High-Tech Research Center for Open Pit Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China)

  • Wei Zhou

    (School of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
    State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
    High-Tech Research Center for Open Pit Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China)

  • Chongchong Qi

    (School of Resources and Safety Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
    School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering, University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, Australia)

  • Meng Yang

    (School of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China)

Abstract

The rehabilitation of the post-mining landscape is one of the intractable bottlenecks faced by the mining industry. Though plant restoration has been regarded as an efficient way, its application is often restricted by the physicochemical properties of the soil, i.e., macronutrient deficiencies. In this work, a novel plant restoration method was proposed that employs maize straw and ultrasonically pre-treated coal fly ash (UCFA) for soil amelioration. Seed germination experiments were performed to investigate the effect of maize straw leachates (MSLs) on the growth of maize, alfalfa, and soybean. Then, the influence of MSLs and UCFA on the physiological attributes, chlorophyll, and trace element concentrations of maize was studied by plant growth experiments. Our results show that: (i) the MSLs concentration had a significant effect on the plant growth and the optimum concentration was 20%; (ii) considering the physiological attributes of maize plants, MSLs and UCFA benefited its growth in most cases. The UCFA proportion should be less than 20 v.% for optimum performance; (iii) the mixture of MSLs and UCFA could generally increase the chlorophyll and decrease trace element concentrations; and (iv) the optimum proportion was found to be soil:UCFA:MSLs = 70:20:10 and soil:UCFA:MSLs = 60:20:20, which achieved satisfactory performance during engineering applications.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiang Lu & Wei Zhou & Chongchong Qi & Meng Yang, 2020. "Enhanced Plant Restoration in Open-Pit Mines Using Maize Straw and Ultrasonically Pre-Treated Coal Fly Ash," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-17, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:22:p:9307-:d:442375
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Yanjun Ou & Shuhua Ma & Xiao Zhou & Xiaohui Wang & Jianping Shi & Yi Zhang, 2020. "The Effect of a Fly Ash-Based Soil Conditioner on Corn and Wheat Yield and Risk Analysis of Heavy Metal Contamination," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-16, September.
    2. Prince T. Mabey & Wei Li & Abu J. Sundufu & Akhtar H. Lashari, 2020. "Environmental Impacts: Local Perspectives of Selected Mining Edge Communities in Sierra Leone," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-16, July.
    3. Katia Talento & Miguel Amado & José Carlos Kullberg, 2020. "The Reuse of Waste Heaps from Extraction Sites: An Architectural Methodology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-21, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Maria Bostenaru Dan & Magdalena Maria Bostenaru-Dan, 2021. "Greening the Brownfields of Thermal Power Plants in Rural Areas, an Example from Romania, Set in the Context of Developments in the Industrialized Country of Germany," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-18, March.
    2. Daolong Xu & Xiufen Li & Jian Chen & Jianghua Li, 2023. "Research Progress of Soil and Vegetation Restoration Technology in Open-Pit Coal Mine: A Review," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-15, January.

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