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Controlled release bactericides affect reclamation success and provide assurance against post-reclamation water quality problems. They inhibit Thiobacillus ferrooxidans and aid in the establishment of beneficial heterotrophic bacteria necessary to support revegetation of the site. These conditions persist after the bactericide is depleted from the controlled release systems. Two coal refuse disposal areas, one in Ohio and one in West Virginia, were reclaimed using two different generations of controlled release bactericides. Case Study #1, located in Ohio, was reclaimed using first generation products with a release life of two years. Yet, six years after application, the treated area continues to have a dense vegetative cover while the untreated control area has only sparse vegetation. Water quality data from the treated area continue to show a significant improvement versus that from the control-area. Case Study #2, located in West Virginia, was reclaimed using third generation products with a controlled release life in excess of seven years. In its third year, the vegetation is lush and healthy except for the control area where vegetation is becoming sparse due to acid toxicity. The "Water quality data from the treated area corroborates these improvements and justifies the use of bactericides in reclamation.

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The soxhlet apparatus has been used in the laboratory to stimulate geochemical weathering; however, the high extraction temperatures required in the soxhlet do not represent a realistic simulation of the weathering environment. A modified design of the original soxhlet did not eliminate the problems of extraction temperature or inaccurate volumes of solvent passing through the sample. These problems were solved by moving the extraction chamber away from the upward path of the refluxing solvent. Extraction temperature differences (approximately 52°C) were responsible for higher concentrations of leachate metal in the original soxhlet leachate when a minesoil sample was weathered. This modification permits exact volumes of solvent to be passed through the sample, as well as a reduction in extraction temperature that would allow study of the role of bacteria in the weathering process.