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Restoration and Sustainable Development of Mine-Affected Soils and Degraded Lands

Advances for Natural Resources Conservation and Land Sustainability

  • 1st Edition - November 1, 2026
  • Latest edition
  • Editors: Jaume Bech, Claudio Bini, Daniel Karthe, Alexey Alekseenko
  • Language: English

Restoration and Sustainable Development of Mine-Affected Soils and Degraded Lands: Advances for Natural Resources Conservation and Land Sustainability delves into the latest advanc… Read more

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Description

Restoration and Sustainable Development of Mine-Affected Soils and Degraded Lands: Advances for Natural Resources Conservation and Land Sustainability delves into the latest advancements in sustainable post-mining land development. This comprehensive volume begins by assessing environmental legacies from mining activities, considering their impacts on different environmental spheres such as the pedosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. It explores the interconnections between these spheres and the material fluxes that result from mining interventions, offering in-depth analysis for professionals in the field. The book also discusses the prediction and analysis of environmental benefits and challenges related to mine closures and the transition to renewable energy.

It includes social and economic opportunities and obstacles of mine closure and the phasing out of coal, viewed from regional, national, and global standpoints. Management approaches are examined, considering environmental, socio-economic, and political challenges, drawing insights from successful experiences and lessons learned. Finally, the connection between soil and human health in mine-affected areas is analyzed, providing a valuable resource for mining engineers, soil scientists, and environmental resource managers.

Key features

  • Provides an integrated understanding of the complex challenges and opportunities associated with mine-affected soils, degraded lands, and the transition to renewable energy
  • Applies a global perspective for those involved in environmental policy, resource management, and sustainable development
  • Analyzes the multifaceted challenges of mine-affected areas, fostering a more effective and collaborative approach to sustainable land development

Readership

Mining engineers or geologists managing mining operations, assessing geological conditions, and developing plans for mine closure and land rehabilitation. Soil scientists conducting research on environmental impacts, assessing the ecological consequences of mining, and developing strategies for sustainable soil and land use. Environmental resource managers overseeing the sustainable use of natural resources, including land affected by mining, and developing conservation plans.

Table of contents

Section 1: Introductory

1. Scientific and practical principles of reclamation of disturbed soils

2. Smart Solutions for Sustainable Development: Approaches in Land Rehabilitation

3. Towards environmental sustainability: the impact of mining activity on land

4. Soils as a key node of the Resource Nexus in post-mining regions

5. Mining Sustainability. A Reality in Arid Zones

Section 2: Technosols

6. Organic wastes characteristics and their implications in mining restoration and Technosols making

7. Mining area technosols: sustainable tools as carbon sinks

8. The concept for the Kizel Coal Basin remediation

9. Design and development of the optimal artificial soil cover for rehabilitation of mining waste deposits

Section 3: Soil-plant system

10. Environmental sustainability strategies using nature-based technology approaches

11. Mining activities effects on the soil-plant system

12. Application of thermally treated rice for mitigation of As transportation in the soil-plant system

13. Spatial effect on the greening of industrially polluted soils using native species in the Subarctic

Section 4: Geographical distribution of case studies

14. Sustainable development of mine-affected soils and degraded land in Cartagena, Southeast Spain

15. Degraded lands of Sardinia (Italy), with particular reference to abandoned mine areas

16. Land degradation, conservation, and sustainability of natural resources in the Alpine fringe, Northern Italy

17. Sustainable land reclamation of mining affected sites in Poland with special focus on Upper Silesia Region

18. Overview of historical metal(loid) ore mining sites in the Sudetes (SW Poland) and the status of their reclamation.

19. Quarries and open pits produced by mining of rock raw materials as the sites of nature protection in Poland - selected examples

20. Integrated environmental impact assessment of mining industry: A case of former Altai Mining and Processing Plant, Russia

21. Sustainability Nexus approaches in environmental assessment and the rehabilitation of mining regions in Mongolia

Section 5: Concluding chapter

22. Soils and human health in mine-affected area

Product details

  • Edition: 1
  • Latest edition
  • Published: November 1, 2026
  • Language: English

About the editors

JB

Jaume Bech

Jaume Bech, Emeritus Professor of Soil Science at the University of Barcelona (UB). Degrees in Biological Sciences, Pharmacy and Geological Sciences. Ma in Geology, PhD in Pharmacy and PhD in Biology. Full Prof. in Soil Science at UB (1975-2007). Director of the Agricult. Engin. High School. Tech Univ. of Barcelona. Author of more than 400 papers, Editor of 34 Special Issues in Catena, JSS, EGAH, JGE. Honorary Professor from University of: Kuban State Agrarian (Russia), Piura (Peru), Cuenca (Ecuador), ESPOL Guayaquil (Ecuador), Honor Diploma La Frontera Temuco (Chile), Institute for Biology and Pedology of National Academy of Sciences (Kyrgyz Republic). Dr. Honoris Causa of 13 Universities from Bulgary, Chile, Ecuador, Georgia, Kyrgysztan, Peru, Russia and Spain. Honorary Member of 7 National Soil Sciences Societies from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Georgia, Greece, Romania and Russia. Honorary Member of: VIII Com. Div. SSS EGU and IUSS. Officier dans “L’Ordre des Palmes Academiques”, France.

Affiliations and expertise
Emeritus Professor, Soil Science, Barcelona University (UB), Catalona, Spain

CB

Claudio Bini

Prof. Claudio Bini. Degree in Geological Sciences (University of Florence, 1969). Academic position: Full Professor (Chair of Soil Science). Academic career: Fellowship at the University of Perugia (1970 – 1974) and Florence (1975 – 1980); Researcher at the University of Florence, 1980 - 1987; Associated Professor, University of Udine, 1988 - 1994; Associated Professor, University of Venice, 1995 - 2004. Full Professor, University of Venice, 2005-2015. Member of numerous Scientific Societies. Vice-chairman of Division 1.2 –Soil Geography (IUSS) for the period 2006-2008. Co-Convener of scientific sessions at EGU, ICOBTE, EUROSOIL. Associate Editor of Soil Research (2012-currently). Associate Editor of Journal of Soils and Sediments (2012-currently). Reviewer for several international journals (STOTEN, EMAS, EGAH, Geoderma, Geoexplo, Catena). Prof. Bini authored ca. 200 scientific papers, published in national and international journals, and several books with international publishers (Nova Editor, Springer, Elsevier).

Affiliations and expertise
Professor of Soil Science, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Venice, Italy

DK

Daniel Karthe

Daniel Karthe, Prof. Dr., currently works as Head of Programme – Resource Nexus for Sustainability Transformations at United Nations University, with a co-appointment in the Faculty of Environmental Sciences of TU Dresden. He has more than 20 years of professional and research experience related to environmental resources management, including several research and development projects in Mongolia, where he formerly served as founding professor for the Department of Environmental Engineering and Vice Rector for Research of German-Mongolian Institute for Resources and Technology. Prior to that, Dr. Karthe led and coordinated several national and international research projects at the Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Magdeburg, Germany. Prof. Karthe has more than 50 international peer-reviewed publications, including in particular the fields of water resources, but also soil and air pollution.

Affiliations and expertise
Head of Programme – Resource Nexus for Sustainability Transformations, United Nations University, Germany

AA

Alexey Alekseenko

Alexey Alekseenko is an accomplished environmental scientist holding a double doctoral degree in geo-engineering from the two world’s oldest institutes of resources, TU Bergakademie Freiberg and St Petersburg Mining University. With an extensive background spanning over 15 years in collecting, generating, and examining data pertaining to both natural and man-made systems, his research findings have been featured in prominent journals, garnering significant recognition within the academic community. Since 2021, he has been serving as an Adjunct Professor at the United Nations University to advance the Resource Nexus approach in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Alexey is experienced in environmental projects for industries extracting coal, metals, diamonds, and building materials. His expertise expands from pollution assessment to the restoration of ecosystems disturbed by open-pit, underground, and placer mining. His current research focuses on an in-depth exploration of mining legacies in the broader context of global coal phase-out and energy transition.
Affiliations and expertise
Adjunct Professor, United Nations University, Germany