Assessing the potential of local amendments in quarry soil reclamation: an AHP-driven analysis

This study investigated the potential of locally available organic amendments for the reclamation of quarry soil in Hoa Vang commune, Da Nang city, Vietnam. To identify promising amendments, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 local farmers to leverage their experiential knowledge. Five key soil quality criteria were considered: soil structure (C1), soil nutrient content (C2), soil microbial activity (C3), water retention capacity (C4), and cation exchange capacity (C5). The organic amendments evaluated included: domestic sludge (A1), organic waste (A2), livestock manure (A3), crop residues (A4), and rice husk ash (A5). Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) analysis of farmer responses revealed that soil nutrient content was perceived as the most important criterion for quarry soil reclamation, and consequently, livestock manure was identified as the amendment with the highest overall potential. Furthermore, laboratory experiments assessing water holding capacity indicated that rice husk ash exhibited the most significant improvement in this specific soil property.