Assessment of the Effectiveness of Open-Cast Sand Mine Reclamation.

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of sewage sludge (industrial and municipal) as components of composites with anthropogenic soil, used to create the top (0-25 cm) cover layer of open-cast sand mine reclamation on the content of organic carbon and plant nutrients (total N and available forms of P, K and Mg). In the excavation after sand mining, a reclamation technology was used, including filling the excavation with waste and producing Technosol using technical methods. The assessment of the effects of open-cast sand mine reclamation with waste showed that the reclamation cover made of waste meeting the ecological safety criteria was a good substrate for the emerging technogenic soil. The composite created from anthropogenic soil with the addition of sewage sludge (10:1) was characterized by a higher content of organic carbon, total nitrogen and available forms of P, K and Mg compared to anthropogenic soil fertilized with NPK fertilizers and manure. Monitoring of the surface layer properties (0-20 cm), carried out two years after introducing vegetation to the reclaimed area, showed that the assessed technology of reclamation of the excavation after sand mining using waste is a good way to solve the problem of dry areas devastated by open-cast mining of mineral deposits. Moreover, such waste management is in line with the strategy of the Circular Economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]