PubMed · 2026-04-30
Planting vetiver grass on coal mine waste sites over nine years progressively locked toxic heavy metals (chromium, copper, zinc) in place, restored soil health, and rebuilt a diverse, stable underground microbial community — showing a low-cost, plant-driven path to reclaiming industrially degraded land.
Nine years of vetiver grass cultivation significantly immobilised chromium, copper, and zinc in coal gangue soil, reducing their mobility and migration risk.
Bacterial network complexity and robustness increased while vulnerability decreased over the cultivation period, indicating a shift from a fragile to a stable soil microbiome.
Purine metabolism and the metabolite allantoin were significantly elevated in the system, suggesting a plant-driven detoxification pathway under heavy metal stress.
