Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Ecological restoration of mine waste
Ameliorative
- improving the physical
and chemical nature of the site
A
daptive - improve the
ecosystem structure
and function including the biodiversity
Surface Stabilization
: It is an important facet of restoration ecology. If the
reclaimed land surface is stable, then soil erosion from that land is controlled to
the extent possible. Vegetative and non-vegetative methods for stabilizing the
land surface or controlling erosion are practiced in different sites
Use of metal tolerant legumes,
grasses and trees, preferably native
Biological recultivation
Preparing a revegetation package
Drill seeding
Hydro seeding
Mulching
Development of planting methods
Seed/Seeding broadcast
Transplanting saplings.
Seedling nursery
In house development of seedling nursery
Shrub, under tree and tree seeds procurement
Preparing a seed bed and seedlings
Establishment seasonal grass beds
Maintenance of the revegetated stand: Mowing
for weed control, grazing, and burning.
Monitoring
of the vegetation is
important to know how the
vegetation is progressing
toward the desired stage.
Weeding and avoidance of
invasive
Protection to native species
E-record record management
F i g . 3
Schematic presentation showing various unit operations of “ecological restoration of mine waste” (Badiozamani
and Askari-Nasab
2014
; Kalin and Wheeler
2011
; Stokes et al.
2010
)
2.1.1 Dry Covers
Dry covers can prevent weathering by acting as a
barrier against oxygen. Apart from that, a dry
cover can also facilitate the recovery of the area
toward a more natural ecosystem and a locally
adapted solution of vegetation establishment
(Bradshaw
2000
; Chen et al.
2013
). Dry cover
can be based on only one material or a combina-
tion of different substrates coupled with engi-
neered vegetative capping technology (Fig.
4a, b
)
(Prasad
2014
).
Traditionally the most common method is to
use a thin layer of cover consisting of moraine,
but since the nutritious values are low and the
extraction of moraine is expensive, new materials
are under evaluation. To function as an effi cient
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