Technosols Made of Wastes to Improve Physico-Chemical Characteristics of a Copper Mine Soil

Mine tailing soils created from the copper extraction in Touro Mine (Northwest Spain) are very degraded both physically and chemically. Three plots in this mine tailing were amended with Technosols in different proportions in each one to know if this mixture improved the physico-chemical characteristics of the mine soil and contaminated it with heavy metals. The Technosols were made of organic wastes, including mussel residues, wood fragments, sewage sludges and paper mill ashes. An unamended area was used as a control soil. Pseudototal and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable contents of Al, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined in soil samples. The untreated soil had significant limitations for vegetation growth. All the Technosols improved the properties of the mine soil by increasing organic carbon and pH value, but they added Ni, Pb or Zn to the soil. It is advisable to check whether the heavy metal concentrations of the wastes are hazardous or not before adding to soils. It is also necessary to study the effect of these wastes over time and in more areas to conclude if they are actually favourable to restore degraded mine soils.