Soil Quality Improvement Potential of Wood Ash and Peat Moss in Copper Mine Waste Rock Dumpsite: A Case Study in Artvin, Turkey

Abstract

With the ultimate goal of facilitating in situ phytostabilization and ecological restoration of mining sites rather than agricultural use, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of wood ash and peat on the physicochemical properties and nitrogen mineralization in copper-mine-affected soils. To this end, soil samples were collected from copper mine waste rock dumpsites and amended with wood ash, peat moss, and their mixture, at various rates. Various soil properties were determined at two incubation periods (day 0 and day 63). To reveal differences among soil amendments, a post hoc test with the Bonferroni correction, principal component analysis (PCA), PCA biplot, and Log2 fold change heat map analyses were applied. As a result, all soil properties, except the ammonium level at day 63, differed significantly for at least one type of amendment (P < 0.05). The overall effects of the treatments on physicochemical soil properties and nitrogen mineralization, as determined by PCA, indicated that wood ash had the greatest effect on pH and EC. In contrast, peat moss dominated nitrogen dynamics, as reflected by organic carbon and organic matter. The results of this study could be used to remediate mine-polluted, acidified, and nutrient-depleted soils.