Mine Reclamation & Industrial Sites

Some of the most significant challenges facing mine sties include massive soil and water quality degradation associated with mine tailings, rock piles and draining adits. These sites contribute to highly mineralized and eroded soil and acidic water.  Local watercourses become contaminated often due to lack of a healthy vegetative cover. 

"A major impediment to reducing the amount of pollution coming from mining works is due to the difficulty of re-establishing vegetation and active soil processes on sites that are devoid of vegetation, and have conditions that are generally hostile to plant colonization. The challenges of re-growing vegetation at these sites are multiple" (Peltz, C. et.al., 2010) including acidic soils, harsh climatic, soil compaction and low water retention.

Peltz and colleagues at the Mountain Studies Institute concluded that when compared to seeding alone, the addition of biochar increased vegetation cover on acid soils by 240%, seed emergence was faster and greater and biochar treatments increased soil water-holding capacity.  More on that study can be found on this research poster.   

Biochar Supreme's Heavy Metal Mix has characteristics that are ideal for mine reclamation as it cleans up 99% of all heavy metals, holds 9 times its weight in water, has a surface area of over 700 square meters per gram and can be manufactured in large quantities.  We have a specialized a proprietary mix for heavy, acid mines and industrial sites. There is literature suggesting that very-highly activated biochar such as Black Owl Biochar's Heavy Metal Cleanup may prove effective for numerous industrial chemicals and even cesium and uranium mitigation.The combination of rendering heavy metals unavailable and reduction of acidity makes growth of plants and soil restoration possible.   To order or of samples, click here.