Restoring Disturbed and Degraded Soils

Disturbed soil environments can be extremely difficult to restore because their physical, chemical, and biological properties are often out of balance.

BioLynceus® has worked with a variety of challenging sites, including:

• Mining tailings
• Road construction projects
• Disturbed and degraded soils
• Areas requiring reclamation and revegetation

By supporting soil biology and providing beneficial nutrients, biological soil treatments can help improve conditions for plant establishment and long-term soil recovery.

Supporting Soil Reclamation and Revegetation

BioLynceus® products are designed to help restore biological activity and improve growing conditions in degraded soils.

The addition of beneficial nutrients and soil-enhancing components can support:

• Root zone development
• Seed germination
• Plant establishment
• Nutrient availability
• Microbial activity
• Long-term revegetation

These improvements can help transform disturbed soils into more productive environments capable of supporting healthy vegetation.

Copper Mine Tailings Revegetation

The following photographs document a copper mine tailings reclamation project where oat grass was planted to revegetate disturbed areas.

The treated sections showed noticeable improvements in both root development and overall plant growth compared with untreated areas.

Improved Root Zone Development

The comparison image below shows the difference in root zone development between treated and untreated plants.

The treated plants developed stronger root systems and improved overall growth, demonstrating the potential benefits of biological soil treatment for mine tailings reclamation and disturbed soil revegetation.

BHP Pinto Valley Operations Copper Mine Tailings Project – Miami, Arizona

The BHP Pinto Valley copper mining operation near Miami, Arizona, processes more than 1,000,000 tons of ore each week.

Most of the processed material consists of granite and other minerals. Copper represents less than 1% of the ore, with grades typically ranging from approximately 0.2% to 0.4% copper.

The Challenge of Copper Mine Tailings

During copper processing, the ore is crushed and the valuable minerals are extracted. This process generates large quantities of mine tailings that must be stored and managed.

At this operation, approximately one million tons of tailings material can be generated each week, creating large deposits of mine waste over time.

Mine tailings typically contain very little organic matter and can present difficult conditions for seed germination, root development, and long-term vegetation establishment.

These conditions make conventional revegetation challenging.

Mine Reclamation and Revegetation Requirements

Arizona reclamation requirements that took effect in 1992 called for mining waste areas to be either capped or reclaimed through methods such as revegetation.

Capping large mine tailings deposits can be expensive, while establishing vegetation directly on tailings presents its own challenges.

Jesse Mitchell, an Environmental Technician with BHP, helped develop innovative mine tailings revegetation strategies designed to establish plant growth on these disturbed materials.

Using Biological Soil Remediation on Mine Tailings

The project incorporated biological soil remediation products designed to improve conditions within the mine tailings.

The treatment program focused on:

• Increasing available carbon
• Supporting beneficial microbial activity
• Improving conditions within the root zone
• Helping reduce harsh soil conditions
• Creating a more favorable environment for plant establishment

By supporting biological activity within the tailings, the program helped create conditions that were more suitable for vegetation.

Demonstrating the Potential for Mine Tailings Revegetation

The project demonstrated that vegetation can be established on copper mine tailings when biological soil remediation and organic-based treatment strategies are used to improve growing conditions.

This approach can provide mining operations with another option for addressing mine reclamation and closure objectives while supporting the return of vegetation to disturbed areas.

BioLynceus® Solutions for Mine Tailings Reclamation

BioLynceus® biological and organic-based soil products are designed to support mine tailings remediation, soil development, and revegetation.

By improving microbial activity, increasing available carbon, and supporting plant establishment, biological treatment can help create conditions that allow regional vegetation to become established on previously disturbed mine materials.

For mining operations evaluating reclamation strategies, BioLynceus® products may provide an economical biological approach to supporting mine closure, soil restoration, and long-term revegetation.

Post-Treatment Vegetation Growth on Copper Mine Tailings

The photographs below show vegetation growth following treatment of the copper mine tailings.

These post-application images demonstrate the development of plant growth in areas treated as part of the biological soil remediation and revegetation program.

The case study for this project was written up by Pay Dirt Mining Magazine in December, 1997.