Chemical Characterization of Mine Sites

Mineral products such as coal, aluminum, copper, iron, gold, and mineral sand are examples from the mining industry. Though mining advances global economic prosperity, this industry severely disturbs the land, water resources, and the environment. Mined waste materials such as tailings, subsoils, oxidized wastes, and fireclay are the main causes for land disturbance. Presence of potentially hazardous substances such as heavy metals in elevated concentrations in the mined waste materials has caused land contamination. This chapter provides an outlook to understand soil carbon dynamics in degraded mine lands as impacted by application of biosolids. For this purpose, a meta-analysis is presented in which the effect of biosolids on the soil organic carbon in a series of soils varying in textural class and type is determined. The soils include reclaimed mine soils. Finally, challenges of using biowastes for soil carbon sequestration in mine site rehabilitation, to ensure their sustainable utilization, are discussed.