Response of three native grass species on dry tailings reclamation substrate amended with petroleum coke

Abstract

Surface mining around the world has produced large quantities of waste materials with ecological impacts. Oil sands mining in Canada generates large volumes of petroleum coke and tailings every year, which are stockpiled in the mining areas and must be reclaimed through capping or used in reclamation substrates. A greenhouse study was conducted to determine whether substrates of various mixes of dry tailings (DT), tailings sand (TS), and peat mineral mix (PMM) with coke amendment would support emergence and growth of three grass species commonly used in land reclamation. After 16 wk in the greenhouse, plant performance varied with substrate and amendment. Treatment with DT/TS/PMM (50:25:25) with 40% coke had greatest cover, biomass, and density and the best plant health. Plant growth was inhibited in treatments with DT (100%) and coke (100%) due to high concentrations of hydrocarbons, undesirable exchangeable ions, and salinity that restricted soil water retention (gravimetric water content, hydraulic conductivity) relative to treatments with PMM. Agrostis scabra Willd. and Festuca saximontana. showed poor growth or did not survive on DT and DT/TS with coke. Elymus trachycaulus (Link) Gould ex Shinners performed better in all DT mixes and performed the best in DT/TS/PMM with 40% coke. Results from this study indicate that mixing with PMM could improve the reclamation potential of DT and coke. How to cite this article: Luna Wolter GL, Dhar A, Naeth MA. Response of three native grass species on dry tailings reclamation substrate amended with petroleum coke.

Effects of woody debris and cover soil types on soil properties and vegetation 4–5 years after oil sands reclamation

“…Revegetation is a facilitation process to rebuild the disturbed forest ecosystem; with the plant communities developing on reclaimed sites a function of biotic factors (soil propagule bank, seed dispersal, wildlife impacts), abiotic factors (environmental conditions, soil properties, land form, topography), human activity (subsequent disturbances, land management activities), and time since reclamation (e.g. Tropek et al 2013; Dhar et al 2018; Luna Wolter et al 2021).…”

Growth responses of 20 boreal forest species to oil sands non‐segregating tailings: significance for reclamation

“…PMM is a mixture of humic, mesic, and fibric forms of lowland organic peat deposits and sandy mineral soils and is associated with high organic matter content and high water‐holding capacity, which make it beneficial for seedling establishment (Pinno & Errington 2015). Petroleum coke, a major byproduct of the oil sands industry, has high organic content and provides another option for a soil amendment to be used in reclamation (Luna Wolter et al 2021). Due to the migration of salts through the layers of underlying tailings sand or overburden, reconstructed soils can be associated with high salinity and high pH, which impair the survival and growth of plants used for reclamation (Renault et al 1999; Zhang et al 2013; Duan & Chang 2017).…”

Influência de diferentes concentrações do rejeito da mineração do lítio sobre a emergência e o desenvolvimento de quatro espécies de leguminosas forrageiras

“…Existem diversas técnicas para imobilizar resíduos provenientes da mineração, porém a reabilitação de áreas afetadas só é alcançada de forma realista quando comunidades vegetais são implementadas, estabilizando poluentes presentes no substrato (YE et al, 2002). No entanto, o estabelecimento de vegetação em rejeitos provenientes da mineração é muito dificultado por conta das características físico-químicas destes subprodutos (KOSSOFF et al, 2014;LUNA WOLTER;DHAR;NAETH, 2021). Além disso, estes rejeitos podem conter concentrações tóxicas de metais e metalóides como As, Cu, Pb e Zn, assim como baixos níveis de nutrientes, estrutura física deficiente e salinidade excessiva (KOSSOFF et al, 2014).…”