Plant and Soil is seeking submissions for a Special Issue on “Rhizosphere biogeochemistry in mine tailings” guest edited by Prof. Michael Komárek (Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic), Dr. Songlin Wu (The University of Queensland, Australia), Prof. Fayuan Wang (Qingdao University of Science and Technology, PR China), and Prof. Longbin Huang (The University of Queensland).
Keywords: mine tailings; rhizosphere; plant-microbe continuum; amendments; revegetation; reclamation; rehabilitation; mineral weathering; toxic metal extraction/stabilization; phytomanagement
Mineral tailings are one of the most challenging environmental issues facing the global mining industry. Tailings are usually in the form of fine particles, with extreme physicochemical properties (highly alkaline/acid, high salinity, etc), and may contain high levels of toxic metals, which could be sources of soil/water contamination. Many plant species (especially those tolerant pioneer plants) could survive in the tailings after initial physicochemical improvement by proper engineering inputs. Rhizosphere processes in the tailings, including nutrient cycling, metal translocation and transformation, organic matter mineralization/accumulation, and mineral weathering contribute to the substantial improvement of tailing properties and lead to sustainable rehabilitation.
We are proposing this special issue, and expect to collect manuscripts on the rhizosphere biogeochemistry in mine tailings to help advance our knowledge in this field. This information would also provide an important basis for developing technologies for resilient mine site rehabilitation.
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2023
For more information, please visit the website of this Special Issue.