mine-restoration
Mine restoration is the practice of rehabilitating land contaminated by mining activities, using plants and other biological agents to stabilize soils, reduce toxic metal leaching, and rebuild functional ecosystems. For plant scientists, this field is critical because it examines how certain species tolerate or accumulate heavy metals, informing research on phytoremediation strategies and the genetic and physiological adaptations that allow plants to survive in extreme, polluted environments.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-04-29
A 4-year study found that planting white mulberry trees alongside organic compost (vermicompost and biogas slurry) dramatically rehabilitated the toxic, acidic soils left behind by rare-earth mines — raising pH from dangerously acidic to near-neutral and increasing organic matter more than sixfold while improving crop yields and soil microbial life.
Vermicompost combined with biogas slurry raised soil pH from 4.37 to 6.67 — shifting it from strongly acidic to near-neutral over four years.
Soil organic matter increased more than sixfold, from 4.87 to 30.58 g·kg⁻¹, under the organic amendment treatments.
The combination of white mulberry phytoremediation and organic fertilizers improved soil enzyme activity, microbial community diversity, and measurable crop yield compared to chemical fertilizer controls.
