Analysis of the prospects to use peat-based soil conditioners for reclamation of disturbed lands

One of the ways to reduce the negative impact of mining on the environment is reclamation of the disturbed lands. Unused overburden and host rocks are stored mainly in external dumps and occupy significant territories, being a source of such negative effects as emission of pollutants, development of erosion and spontaneous combustion. The use of traditional methods of biological land reclamation by covering the dump surface with a layer of fertile soil or potentially fertile rocks requires significant costs and is not always feasible in practice. The studies that aim at developing economically feasible ways to restore the biological productivity of soils in disturbed areas and help to avoid these labor-intensive operations are of particular importance. An analysis of peat resources and properties of peat raw materials has been carried out for production of soil conditioners. Due to its functional properties, low cost and widespread availability, peat as a raw material has a high potential for manufacturing soil conditioners characterized with a slow release of nutrients for the reclamation of land disturbed by mining activities.