Long term growth of crop plants on experimental plots created among slag heaps.

Suppression of plant growth is a common problem in post-mining reclaimed areas, as coarse texture of soils may increase nitrate leaching. Assessing feasibility of using solid waste (precipitated solid matter) produced by water and sewage treatment processes in field conditions is very important in mine soil reclamation. Our work investigated the possibility of plant growth in a degraded site covered with sewage-derived sludge material. A test area (21m × 18m) was established on a mine soil heap. Experimental plant species included Camelina sativa, Helianthus annuus, Festuca rubra, Miscanthus giganteus, Amaranthus cruentus, Brassica napus, Melilotus albus, Beta vulgaris, and Zea mays. ANOVA showed sufficient water content and acceptable physical properties of the soil in each year and layer in a multi-year period, indicating that these species were suitable for phytoremediation purposes. Results of trace elements assays indicated low degree of contamination caused by Carbocrash waste material and low potential ecological risk for all plant species. Detrended correspondence analysis revealed that total porosity and capillary porosity were the most important variables for the biosolids among all water content related properties. Overall, crop plants were found useful on heavily degraded land and the soil benefited from their presence. An addition of Carbocrash substrate to mine soil improved the initial stage of soil reclamation and accelerated plant growth. The use of this substrate in phytoremediation helped to balance the content of nutrients, promoted plant growth, and increased plant tolerance to salinity. Sewage sludge-amended biosolids may be applied directly to agricultural soil, not only in experimental conditions.