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Suitability of Wastes from Olive-Oil Industry for Initial Reclamation of a Pb/Zn Mine Tailing

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Abstract

An incubation experiment was conducted to evaluate the ameliorating role of two organic amendments—olive-mill solid wastes and compost from olive-mill solid wastes- in the ecological reclamation of a lead/Zn-mine tailing collected in southern Spain. Four enzymatic activities (dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, urease and phosphatase) and soluble and AB-DTPA extractable Pb and Zn and were periodically determined. High concentrations of Pb (5394 mg kg−1) and Zn (9607 mg kg−1), mainly in insoluble forms, were recorded in the lead/zinc-mine tailing, as well as very low biochemical activity. Application of the compost from olive-mill solid waste stimulated microbial activity and the biogeochemical cycles into the mine tailing because of the initially increased dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase and urease activities, which tended to decline or remained constant during the incubation period. By contrast, these enzyme activities were scarcely affected by the incorporation of the olive-mill solid wastes because this olive-organic amendment contains extractable polyphenols (36 g kg−1), which inhibit these enzyme activities. Phosphatase activity was enhanced by the application of both olive-organic amendments, especially when the olive-mill solid waste was added to the mine tailing. Amounts of soluble and AB-DTPA-extractable Pb and Zn in the mine tailing were increased by the application of the olive-mill solid waste, and to a lesser degree, by the compost from this olive waste. This fact could restrict the use of these olive-organic amendements as useful materials in reclamation of lead/zinc-mine tailings. Nevertheless, the increases of available lead and zinc would represent an advantage where Pb/Zn-mine tailings are reclaimed by phytoextraction, effectively reducing the metal pollution in these mining wastes.

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  1. Estación Experimental del Zaidín, C.S.I.C., Profesor Albareda 1, 419, Granada, 18080, Spain

    E. Romero, E. BenÍtez & R. Nogales

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  1. E. Romero
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  2. E. BenÍtez
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  3. R. Nogales
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Correspondence to R. Nogales.

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Romero, E., BenÍtez, E. & Nogales, R. Suitability of Wastes from Olive-Oil Industry for Initial Reclamation of a Pb/Zn Mine Tailing. Water Air Soil Pollut 165, 153–165 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-005-4638-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-005-4638-3

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