title: Surface coal mine land reclamation using a dry flue gas desulfurization product: Short-term and long-term water responses.
abstract: Abandoned coal-mined lands are a worldwide concern due to their potential negative environmental impacts, including erosion and development of acid mine drainage. A field study investigated the use of a dry flue gas desulfurization product for reclamation of abandoned coal mined land in USA. Treatments included flue gas desulfurization product at a rate of 280 Mg ha(-1) (FGD), FGD at the same rate plus 112 Mg ha(-1) yard waste compost (FGD/C), and conventional reclamation that included 20 cm of re-soil material plus 157 Mg ha(-1) of agricultural limestone (SOIL). A grass-legume sward was planted after treatment applications. Chemical properties of surface runoff and tile water (collected from a depth of 1.2m below the ground surface) were measured over both short-term (1-4 yr) and long-term (14-20 yr) periods following reclamation. The pH of surface runoff water was increased from approximately 3, and then sustained at 7 or higher by all treatments for up to 20 yr, and the pH of tile flow water was also increased and sustained above 5 for 20 yr. Compared with SOIL, concentrations of Ca, S and B in surface runoff and tile flow water were generally increased by the treatments with FGD product in both short- and long-term measurements and concentrations of the trace elements were generally not statistically increased in surface runoff and tile flow water over the 20-yr period. However, concentrations of As, Ba, Cr and Hg were occasionally elevated. These results suggest the use of FGD product for remediating acidic surface coal mined sites can provide effective, long-term reclamation.
authors.affiliation: School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University/The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Liming
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stehouwer
authors.affiliation: School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University/The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, OH, USA; College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Xiaogang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.affiliation: School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University/The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Dave
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kost
authors.affiliation: School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Jerry M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bigham
authors.affiliation: School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University/The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, OH, USA. Electronic address: dick.5@osu.edu.
authors.forename: Warren A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Dick
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis; D001464:Barium / Q000032:analysis; D001895:Boron / Q000032:analysis; D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis; D002857:Chromium / Q000032:analysis; D003031:Coal / Q000032:analysis*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation; D005740:Gases; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis; D008906:Mining; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D013455:Sulfur / Q000032:analysis*; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis*; D014867:Water; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D003031:Coal; D005740:Gases; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014131:Trace Elements; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014867:Water; D002857:Chromium; D001464:Barium; D013455:Sulfur; D008628:Mercury; D001151:Arsenic; D001895:Boron; D002118:Calcium
keywords: Acid mine drainage; Flue gas desulfurization (FGD) product; Surface coal mine reclamation; Trace element; Water quality