Disturbed soil environments are especially harsh and challenging to rebalance. In our applications, we have successfully remediated mining tailings, road projects, and other disturbed soils.
We have restored deteriorated soils to healthy, vital environments with soil-enhancing constituents. With the addition of beneficial nutrients, the revitalization of growth in these soils is enhanced.
The following photos were taken at a copper mine where the mine tailings were planted to revegetate the disturbed areas. In the following picture, oat grass was planted to revegetate the copper mine tailings.
The treated areas showed significant improvement in root zone and plant development. The picture below shows the root zone development in treated and untreated plants.
Treated on the Left — Untreated on the Right
BHP Pinto Valley Operations Copper Mine Tailing Project – Miami, Arizona
This mining operation requires over 1,000,000 tons of ore every week. The majority of the ore is granite and other minerals. Less than one percent is copper; usually, the grade runs from 0.2 to 0.4 percent.
The ore is crushed and the mineral is extracted. This requires that about a million tons of mine tailings be stored each week in piles that become large mountains of mine material.
This material is sterile, lacking organic matter, and is difficult to initiate or sustain plant growth in.
Arizona state law, which took effect in 1992, requires that these mining piles either be capped or reclaimed (revegetated).
Capping has been extremely costly, and revegetation of the piles has been challenging. Jesse Mitchell, BHP Environmental Technician, has pioneered innovative revegetation programs that have started the process of growing plants on the barren tailings.
Mitchell used soil remediation products that biologically soften the mine waste material, add carbon, and virtually bring life into the material, which otherwise is toxic to plants.
The program demonstrated that propagation of vegetation is possible with soil remediation and pro-organic, probiotic programs.
Mining operations are looking for economical ways to accomplish the closure requirements of the EPA and the AZDEQ without costly financial closure expenses.
The bio-organic program of BioLynceus® provides an economical alternative to help remediate the mine tailings and return the mine material to a state that can be inhabited by regional vegetation.
The samples below are post application.
Post Treatment Vegetation Growth: Copper Mine Tailings
The case study for this project was written up by Pay Dirt Mining Magazine in December, 1997.