Coal by-product key to land and water rehab
Coal by-product key to land and water rehab

Coal by-product key to land and water rehab

Originally published by Australian Mining.

A researcher from the University of Alberta in Canada has found a coal by-product called nano humus to be highly effective for remediating land and water used in mining.

Nano humus is able to be extracted from coal mine deposits, crushed into a fine, black powder and used to extract heavy metals from contaminated environments.

Yihan Zhao conducted the research which saw nano humus extract cadmium – a toxic heavy metal produced in many mining contexts – from water.

Zhao found the nano humus acts like a sponge, soaking up 90 per cent of the cadmium in 15 minutes and 93 per cent in 24 hours.

ā€œIt’s rapid, safe and effective,ā€ Zhao said, with the research earning her a PhD in land reclamation and remediation.

Zhao’s project supervisorĀ Anne Naeth predicted the process could be commonplace in mining rehabilitation within the next five years.

ā€œThe fact that we can use a waste material to reclaim an area that produces it is exciting,ā€ Naeth said.

On top of this low-cost, efficient method for remediation, the nano humus could be used to replace some materials which are used to replace the contaminated soil, such as manure and straw.

ā€œThe huge amounts of these standard materials we need to apply has always been an issue for their use in land reclamation,ā€ Zhao said.

ā€œUsing nano humus reduces the amount of material we need and makes it much easier to transport and apply.ā€

The findings of Zhao’s research could be especially important to developing countries that can’t easily rehabilitate their lands.

ā€œUsing nano humus to treat their contaminated land and water means reduced health risks and makes their land available for agricultural production and food security,ā€ Zhao said.

ā€œThe research also contributes to developing long-term solutions to the environmental concerns of industries globally.ā€

Related Posts