Field model tests of soil reconstruction in ecological restoration of open-pit mines

Abstract

Objective To address the problem of geological environment destruction in the Ⅳ mining area of Zhangjiagou Limestone Mine in Lintao County, Gansu Province, the spraying regreening technology was used to carry out ecological restoration and management in the test mining area. Methods In this study, 6 kinds of ecological soils with different formulations of foreign soil, organic nutrient soil, soil improvement material compound, and fertilizer and others were selected for planting experiments conducted in the open-pit mine test area and laboratory at the same time, so as to analyse plant growth characteristics under different humidity levels and different mixing ratios of 4 herbs and 2 shrubs. Results The results showed that the formulation of ecological soil affected the growth process of plants.The plant community was more stable when the percentage of foreign soil, organic nutrient soil, soil improvement material compound, and fertilizer and others were 40%, 36%, 20% and 4%, respectively, of the ecological soil and the grass seeds were planted. The plant community with a herb to shrub ratio of 40∶1 was more stable under environmental conditions of 17% to 30% humidity, while the plant community with a herb to shrub ratio of 20∶1 was more stable under the environmental conditions of 30% to 44% humidity. Conclusion The research results can provide a reference for ecological restoration and management of open-pit mines.

Keywords

• open-pit mine
• soil reconstruction
• plant community
• model test
• ecological restoration