Enhancing Soil Properties after Mining and During Reclamation

In Phase I, a greenhouse study was performed examining the relative performance of a new, high- quality flue-gas-desulfurization (FGD) waste as a soil amendment in reclamation spoil soil-columns. The new FGD material resulted in significantly more groundcover yield than commercial agricultural lime when applied at equivalent rates and resulted in plants with significantly greater rooting. In Phase II, these encouraging greenhouse results will be scaled up to field tests. Because the results were so positive, agricultural mini-plot field-tests will also be performed on quality farmland, in addition to reclamation trails at an actual abandoned mine site. The reclamation site trials will examine the possibility of lowering topsoil requirements by using the new FGD material. The agricultural field-tests will seek to increase the yield of alfalfa and soybeans in excess of that provided by currently- commercial products, while decreasing associated runoff pollution.