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Mine tailings, generated from the extraction, processing, and utilization of mineral resources, have resulted in serious acid mine drainage (AMD) pollution. Recently, scholars are paying more attention to two alternative strategies for resource recovery and ecological reclamation of mine tailings that help to improve the current tailing management, and meanwhile reduce the negative environmental outcomes. This review suggests that the principles of geochemical evolution may provide new perspective for the future in-depth studies regarding the pollution control and risk management. Recent advances in three recycling approaches of tailing resources, termed metal recovery, agricultural fertilizer, and building materials, are further described. These recycling strategies are significantly conducive to decrease the mine tailing stocks for problematic disposal. In this regard, the future recycling approaches should be industrially applicable and technically feasible to achieve the sustainable mining operation. Finally, the current state of tailing phytoremediation technologies is also discussed, while identification and selection of the ideal plants, which is perceived to be the excellent candidates of tailing reclamation, should be the focus of future studies. Based on the findings and perspectives of this review, the present study can act as an important reference for the academic participants involved in this promising field.

In November 2013, the total concentration of selected heavy metals in 43 urban dust samples, collected from two small-sized cities of industrial E'zhou and agricultural Huanggang, located in the southeastern Hubei province, central China, was detected quantitatively by flame atomic absorption spectrometric (FAAS) for ultimate purpose of pollution monitoring and risk evaluation. Results indicated that the mean concentrations exceeding their respective background values were observed for all the investigated metals, with the exception of Co (13.08mg kg -1 ) and Fe (38635.02mg kg -1 ) in Huanggang road dusts, whose average concentrations were close to the background levels. In comparison with the reference data reported from the selected cities worldwide, the urban road dusts were seriously polluted by heavy metals to diverse degrees. The contour distribution maps implied that obviously higher values zones were found between two different types of urban areas, located to both sides of the coastline of Yangtze River. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed that the enriched heavy metals had emanated from the combined effects of both natural sources and anthropogenic sources. Three pollution indices indicated that the riskiest element mainly comprising Cr, Ni, Cu, and Pb appeared to be the major contributors to the urban environmental pollution. Avoiding continuous damage requires, the riskiest metallic contaminants should be paid preferential attention to.