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Ajuts: The work described in this paper was funded by the Catalan Waste Agency (ARC) and the General Directorate for Mobility Infrastructures of the Department of Territory and Sustainability of the Government of Catalonia. ; Soil rehabilitation in the context of the restoration of quarries, dumping sites, or road slopes often requires the prior addition of organic amendments to improve the substrates used for Technosol construction. Bio-wastes coming from advanced Mechanical-Biological Treatment Plants, mainly compost-like-outputs (CLO) and digestates (DGT), are new and suitable sources of organic matter potentially useful as organic amendments for this purpose, in an approach clearly fulfilling the principles of circular economy. In order to assess the suitability of these materials, a complete physicochemical and biological evaluation was carried out, including an ecotoxicological evaluation to discard hazardous effects on key soil fauna groups. Field experiments were also carried out on several road slopes and a dumping site. The stability degree of organic matter and the impurities content could be restricting parameters for the use of CLO in soils. Low stability degree decreased plant development in the initial stages of restoration. Moreover, the high heterogeneity in terms of physicochemical parameters of the different CLOs assessed is a serious constraint to making generalizations about its use. In contrast, composition of DGTs was more stable between plants and batches, and presented low impurities and high N contents that make them more suitable for applying to soil and promoting plant development. Regarding the application rates, DGT application at 20 g kgSoil rehabilitation in the context of the restoration of quarries, dumping sites, or road slopes often requires the prior addition of organic amendments to improve the substrates used for Technosol construction. Bio-wastes coming from advanced Mechanical-Biological Treatment Plants, mainly compost-like-outputs (CLO) and digestates (DGT), are new and suitable sources of organic matter potentially useful as organic amendments for this purpose, in an approach clearly fulfilling the principles of circular economy. In order to assess the suitability of these materials, a complete physicochemical and biological evaluation was carried out, including an ecotoxicological evaluation to discard hazardous effects on key soil fauna groups. Field experiments were also carried out on several road slopes and a dumping site. The stability degree of organic matter and the impurities content could be restricting parameters for the use of CLO in soils. Low stability degree decreased plant development in the initial stages of restoration. Moreover, the high heterogeneity in terms of physicochemical parameters of the different CLOs assessed is a serious constraint to making generalizations about its use. In contrast, composition of DGTs was more stable between plants and batches, and presented low impurities and high N contents that make them more suitable for applying to soil and promoting plant development. Regarding the application rates, DGT application at 20 g kg−1 clearly improved plant growth after sowing, without compromising recruitment. However, application at 80 g kgSoil rehabilitation in the context of the restoration of quarries, dumping sites, or road slopes often requires the prior addition of organic amendments to improve the substrates used for Technosol construction. Bio-wastes coming from advanced Mechanical-Biological Treatment Plants, mainly compost-like-outputs (CLO) and digestates (DGT), are new and suitable sources of organic matter potentially useful as organic amendments for this purpose, in an approach clearly fulfilling the principles of circular economy. In order to assess the suitability of these materials, a complete physicochemical and biological evaluation was carried out, including an ecotoxicological evaluation to discard hazardous effects on key soil fauna groups. Field experiments were also carried out on several road slopes and a dumping site. The stability degree of organic matter and the impurities content could be restricting parameters for the use of CLO in soils. Low stability degree decreased plant development in the initial stages of restoration. Moreover, the high heterogeneity in terms of physicochemical parameters of the different CLOs assessed is a serious constraint to making generalizations about its use. In contrast, composition of DGTs was more stable between plants and batches, and presented low impurities and high N contents that make them more suitable for applying to soil and promoting plant development. Regarding the application rates, DGT application at 20 g kg−1 clearly improved plant growth after sowing, without compromising recruitment. However, application at 80 g kg−1 did not ameliorate seed germination and plant growth, in either CLO or DGT treatments, and increased N-leaching and toxicity risk to soil mesofauna in DGT amended Technosols. did not ameliorate seed germination and plant growth, in either CLO or DGT treatments, and increased N-leaching and toxicity risk to soil mesofauna in DGT amended Technosols. clearly improved plant growth after sowing, without compromising recruitment. However, application at 80 g kg−1 did not ameliorate seed germination and plant growth, in either CLO or DGT treatments, and increased N-leaching and toxicity risk to soil mesofauna in DGT amended Technosols.

Ajuts : This study was funded by the Department of Territory and Sus-tainability of the Government of Catalonia through the project"Research and innovation on the control and the restoration ofextractive activities. ; The use of Technosols for the restoration of limestone quarries overcomes the usual "in situ" scarcity of soil and/or its poor quality. The use of mine spoils, improved with mineral and/or organic amendments, could be an efficient and environmentally friendly option. Properly treated sewage sludge from urban wastewater treatment plants could be a suitable organic amendment and fertilizer (rich in N and P) whenever its pollutant burden is low (heavy metals and/or organic pollutants). Its appropriate use could improve essential soil physical and chemical properties and, therefore, promote key ecosystem services of restored areas, such as biomass production and carbon sequestration, as well as biodiversity and landscape recovery. However, the mid-term impacts of these restoration practices on soil functioning and their services have rarely been reported in the available literature. In this study we assess the mid-term effects (10 years) of the use of sewage sludge as a Technosol amendment on soil organic carbon (SOC), nutrient status, and plant development in several restored quarries. Soils restored using sewage sludge showed a threefold increase in SOC compared to the corresponding unamended ones, despite the moderate sludge dosage applied (below 50 tonnes/ha). Plant cover was also higher in amended soils, and recruitment was not affected by sludge amendment at these doses. This study demonstrates that, used at an appropriate rate, sewage sludge is a good alternative for the valorization of mine spoils in quarry restoration, improving some important regulatory ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, without compromising woody plant encroachment.

Altres ajuts:European Union LIFE20 PRE/IT/000007 ; Mining is an essential activity that supports the provision of raw materials. However, the extraction process of mining has deep environmental impacts. For this reason, restoration actions are mandatory, and monitoring is a key step in ensuring the renaturalization of affected areas. Erosion processes are one of the main problems that affect restored areas in extractive activities due to the frequently steep slopes and the difficulty of revegetating the technosols constructed using mining debris. This research aims to develop a method for determining soil losses due to water erosion in mine-restored areas by using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) tools. For the study, images obtained using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) in an open pit mine in the process of restoration are used, from which the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the current state of the slopes is obtained (0.10 m spatial resolution). With GIS techniques, ridges of the rills and gullies generated in the slopes are detected, whereby an estimation of a first DEM be-fore the erosive process and a second DEM after the erosive process can be constructed. Each of these DEMs are evaluated individually in order to determine the height differences and estimate the volumetric loss. At the same time, the results are validated with the DEM derived from official mapping agencies' airborne Lidar data (1.00 m spatial resolution), which yield consistent data in the volumetric quantification of the erosion despite the difference in spatial resolution. In conclusion, the high spatial resolution of drone images facilitated a detailed monitoring of erosive processes, obtaining data from vast and inaccessible slopes that are usually immeasurable with traditional field techniques, and altogether improving the monitoring process of mine restoration.

Background, aim, and scope. Nonylphenol polyethoxylates (NPEOs) are a widely used class of nonionic surfactants known to be toxic and endocrine-disrupting contaminants. Their use and production have been banned in the European Union and substituted by other surfactants considered as environmentally safer. However, their use continues in many countries without any legal control. Discharges of effluents from wastewater treatment plants and the application of sewage sludge application, landfilling, and accidental spillage to soils are the major sources of NPEOs in the environment. The biodegradation of these surfactants is relatively easy, leading to the accumulation of the simplest chemical forms of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NP, NP1EO, and NP2EO) and nonylphenol carboxy acids (NP2EC or NP1EC). However, these are also the most toxic end-products and have a higher environmental persistence. Compared to aquatic ecosystems, not much is known about the effects of NPEOs in terrestrial organisms, with few studies mainly centered on the effects on plants and soil microorganisms. The main aim of this study is to provide the range of concentrations of NPEOs with ecotoxicological effects on different plants and soil invertebrate species. In addition, we aim to identify the main soil properties influencing their toxicity. Materials and methods. Two natural soils collected and OECD artificial soil were used in toxicity bioassays. Two different NPEO formulations were tested. On the one hand, a technical mixture of NPEOs containing chain isomers and oligomers with an average of eight ethoxy units was used for the experiments and is referred to herein as NP8EO. On the other hand, technical-grade 4-nonylphenol 95% purity was also used and called NP in this study. The chemicals were applied and mixed with soil as an acetone solution. The toxicity of NP8EO and NP was assessed in different taxonomical groups (plants, earthworms, enchytraeids, and collembolans) according to their respective standardized methods. The effect on lethal and sublethal endpoints was assessed and, by means of linear and non-linear regression models, the NPEO concentration causing 10% and 50% inhibition was estimated. The influence of soil properties on the toxicity was assessed using generalized linear models (GLM). Results. The chemicals tested showed contrasting toxicities, NP being clearly more toxic than NP8EO. There were also substantial differences in the sensitivity of the species and endpoints, together with clearly different toxicities in different soils. Plants were the least affected group compared to soil invertebrates, since plant endpoints were unaffected or only slightly inhibited. In soil invertebrates, reproduction was the most affected endpoint compared to growth or survival. Toxicity was the lowest in OECD artificial soil in comparison to natural soils, with a lower organic matter content. Discussion. The higher toxicity of NP, both in plant and soil invertebrate bioassays, is consistent with previously published studies and its relatively high persistence in soil. The low phytotoxicity of NP8EO and NP, unaffected at concentrations over 1 g NP kg−1, also accords with the known low uptake in plants. The effects on soil invertebrates appeared at lower concentrations than observed in plants, enchytraeids being less affected by NP8EO than earthworms and collembolans. Drastic inhibition in the invertebrate's endpoints generally appeared over 1 g kg−1 for NP8EO and below 1 g kg−1 for NP. The range of concentrations with effects is in agreement with the few similar studies published to date. Generally, the lowest toxicity values were obtained in OECD soil, with the highest organic matter content, while the highest toxicity was found in the PRA soil, with the lowest content. However, few of the models developed by GLM identified organic carbon as a significant factor in decreasing the bioavailability and toxicity of NPEO. The probable explanation for this is the simultaneous contribution of other soil properties and in particular the limited number of soils used in the bioassays. Conclusions. A low ecotoxicological risk of NPEOs might be expected for plants and soil invertebrates, since the usual concentrations in soils (below 2.6 mg kg−1) are clearly less than the lowest concentrations reported to be toxic in our study. Recommendations and perspectives. Although the apparent risk of NPEOs for soil ecosystems is limited, such risks should not be neglected since significant concentrations in soil could be reached with elevated application rates or when highly polluted sludges are used. More importantly, NPEO concentrations in soils should be maintained low given the extremely high toxicity for aquatic organisms. Despite the reduced leaching of NPEOs, runoff events might transport NP attached to soil particles and affect adjacent aquatic ecosystems.

Accurate mapping of open-pit mine areas is a prerequisite for the efficient resource management of extractive companies, but also detailed mapping is a requirement for public administrations, especially regarding the monitoring of restored areas. In previous works, our team has contributed to a better knowledge of the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) technologies for soil/vegetation restoration monitoring purposes, and in this work, we present a novel protocol to support combined interests of both private companies and governmental agencies. We introduce a case study in which we show the capability of multispectral sensors onboard of a low-weight multicopter to describe land cover typologies in restored areas (such as grass, scrubs, trees, topsoil and mine spoils) by applying remote sensing and GIS techniques. Moreover, we assess the capability of digital terrain models (Digital Elevation Model, Digital Surface Model, Digital Slope Model) derived from photogrammetric techniques, to provide useful and fast topographic information for the proper management of open-pit mine exploitation and restoration. By applying these techniques, we present a cost-effective workflow adequate to monitor land cover dynamics in restored areas, but also volumetric changes in stockpiles, waste dumps and extraction faces. This combined approach, supporting both environmental and industrial needs, aims to enhance the collaboration between sectors, establishing synergies, reducing costs by sharing knowledge, and adding transparency to their relation.

Ajuts: The work described in this paper was funded by the Department of Territory and Sustainability of the Government of Catalonia (Spain). ; Quarry restoration in Mediterranean environments usually needs organic amendments to improve the substrates used for technosol construction. Digested sewage sludges from municipal wastewater treatment plants are rich in organic matter, N, and P and constitute an available and economically interesting alternative for substrate amendment. However, their pollutant burden and labile organic matter content involve an environmental risk that must be controlled. Moreover, ecological succession in restored areas can be influenced by the use of sludge and should be assessed. To minimize these risks, a new sewage sludge dose criterion relating to its labile organic matter and heavy metal content has been established. Sewage sludge doses currently range between 10 and 50 Mg ha−1. In order to verify the suitability of this dose criterion, 16 areas rehabilitated using sewage sludge located in limestone quarries in a Mediterranean climate in Catalonia (NE Spain) have been assessed. These evaluations focused on physicochemical properties of rehabilitated soils, land degradation processes, and ecological succession. In the short term, 6 months after sludge application, an increment of organic matter content in the restored soils was observed, without significant increases in electrical conductivity or heavy metals content, and with a dense plant cover that contributes to effective soil erosion control. Two years after, ruderal plants were still present but later successional species colonized the restored zones in different degrees. These results suggest that sewage sludge, used as a soil amendment according to the proposed methodology, can safely improve technosol quality without constraints that compromise ecological succession.

This study has been funded by the RESMINLOD project, co-funded by the Spanish Ministry of Environment (MMA) and the Water Agency of the Catalonia Government (ACA). ; Background, aim, and scope. Mining activities disturb land and reduce its capacity to support a complete functional ecosystem. Reclamation activities in this case are not easy due to the large amount of soil required. This is why mining debris are usually used as surrogate of soil, despite their unsuitable physicochemical properties. However, these properties can be improved with the amendment using an organic source, usually sewage sludge. Nevertheless, the use of sludge might lead to impacts on soil and water ecosystems because of its physicochemical properties and pollutant content. The aim of this study is to assess the suitability of the use of mining debris amended with sewage sludge as practice for the reclamation of land degraded by limestone-quarrying activities. Materials and methods.Two different types of mining debris from the same limestone quarry and six different types of composted or thermally dried sewage sludge were studied. A laboratory assessment was carried out by means of standardized bioassays of sludges, together with a field assessment carried out in lysimeters filled with debris-sludge mixtures. The field assessment was carried out using both the soil-waste mixtures, amended with dosages similar to those used for restoration purposes and their corresponding leachates. The variation of physicochemical properties and the outcomes of different bioassays (soil microorganisms biomass and respiration, enzymatic activities, plant emergence and growth, collembolan survival and reproduction, and the Microtox assay) were used as indicators of fertilizing or ecotoxicological effects. Results.The mining debris used in our study showed a poor capacity for biological recovery, as shown by the lower biological outcomes measured in control lysimeters compared to lysimeters amended with sludge. The addition of sludge improved debris just before the sludge application in terms of its physicochemical and biological properties (microorganism's biomass, respiration and enzymatic activities) which, in some cases, persisted after a year. Conversely, in some sludges, an inhibition in soil collembolans was observed just before the amendment, but any inhibitory effect disappeared after a year. Concerning the leachates obtained from field lysimeters after a week and a year, no inhibitory effects were detectable for aquatic bacteria. Discussion. The effects observed on some of the measured biological endpoints, both in laboratory and field assays, were mainly mediated by physicochemical parameters related to a low stability of organic matter, but in the opposite sense depending on the organism considered. Microbial parameters were enhanced when the organic matter added had a low stability (high content in labile organic matter) but, on the other hand, collembolan performance was negatively affected. The lack of toxicity of leachates indicates a low risk for groundwaters of this reclamation practice. Conclusions.The results of this study support the use of mining debris mixed with sludge for land reclamation of degraded land by quarrying. The addition of sludge allowed a quick plant cover re-establishment and provided a suitable habitat for soil biota because no long-term ecotoxicological risks were observed neither for soils nor groundwaters. The results also indicate that the environmental risk of sludges might be reduced using sludges with a high content in stable organic matter. Recommendations and perspectives.The use of mining debris mixed with sewage sludges for mining reclamation purposes is suitable since long-term ecotoxicological risks were not observed. In addition, the results support the suitability of bioassays for the prediction of the success or risk of specific land reclamation practices in order to avoid unsuccessful attempts.