Soil Science for Restoration Group

Soil Science for Restoration Section

Introduction

The Soil Science Section, located at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Agrónomos of Ciudad Real, is focused on the identification of soil contamination and environmental restoration. It develops activities aimed at the comprehensive recovery of degraded areas, with the main objective of restoring the ecological functionality of degraded or contaminated land through interventions that include topographic reshaping, surface stabilization, restoration of soils with productive capacity, and vegetation establishment.

To this end, various techniques are applied, such as revegetation, as well as soil remediation and improvement through phytoremediation and bioremediation, with the purpose of reducing or eliminating contaminants and enabling the reintegration of the land into forestry, agricultural, or recreational uses, ensuring its proper integration into the natural environment.

Open-pit mining can generate profound alterations in the landscape and in the functioning of affected ecosystems. Current legislation requires the restoration of these sites under criteria that guarantee their functional reintegration into the territory. This process involves the recovery of structural elements, the physicochemical properties of soils, as well as essential ecological processes that are altered or destroyed during mining activities.

In this context, soil constitutes a strategic component, as it determines the evolution of plant and animal communities that will subsequently colonize the restored area. Soil-related impacts derived from mining are diverse and are associated both with the removal of the topsoil layer —entailing the loss of its physical, chemical, and biological properties— and with contamination resulting from industrial processes, which may manifest as heavy metal accumulation, salinization, or other forms of degradation.

On the other hand, obtaining suitable soil materials for use as plant substrate is, in many cases, a priority objective of restoration programs. This process involves neutralizing or immobilizing toxic elements and restoring the fundamental soil properties necessary for ecological functioning. In situations where sufficient fertile soil is not available, the generation of new substrates through the conditioning of mining wastes represents a viable alternative to ensure vegetation colonization and the recovery of soil dynamics.

In any case, the design and implementation of restoration strategies require a precise understanding of the organization, functioning, and evolution of the soil system, as well as its response to environmental changes. This knowledge is an essential requirement for selecting appropriate techniques and ensuring the effective and sustainable recovery of degraded soils.

Location

The Section is located at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Agrónomos of Ciudad Real, headquarters of the research group “Suelos Vitícolas” , where specific laboratories equipped with a wide range of analytical techniques and procedures are available.

Objectives

• Identify and characterize potentially contaminated soils
• Acquire the basis for understanding soil functioning under degradation and/or contamination conditions
• Understand key aspects of soil restoration in areas affected by mining and similar human activities, as well as the best techniques to achieve it
• Train professionals capable of advising, designing, and managing soil restoration projects in mining or similar environments
• Develop the capacity to adopt measures to prevent, minimize, or treat environmental impacts on soils derived from mining or similar human activities

Team

This Section is composed of a multidisciplinary team that, as previously indicated, has been working over recent decades in all the areas described. The team includes researchers from the Department of Plant Production and Agricultural Technology, researchers from the Department of Agroforestry Science and Technology and Genetics of UCLM, as well as from other related departments based on expertise or affiliated personnel.

Research Lines

• Soil science, soil chemistry and geochemistry
• Soil regeneration (Technosols)
• Revegetation and ecological restoration
• Soil fertility and clay mineralogy
• Environmental geochemistry
• Soil as a carbon sink
• Addition of compost, biochar and other organic residues

Equipment

• Analytical equipment to determine soil permeability
• Richards plates for soil water retention analysis
• Laboratory for the characterization of numerous chemical properties (such as pH, electrical conductivity, extraction of bioavailable elements, etc.), physical properties (such as density, texture, etc.), mineralogical properties (XRD), etc.
• Ion chromatograph
• Atomic absorption spectrometer contrAA 800 D for flame, graphite furnace and hydride techniques

Technological Offer

• Phytoremediation: Planting of plant species (preferably native) that absorb or stabilize contaminants
• Physicochemical treatments for contaminant neutralization
• Artificial Soil Creation: Development of "technosols" in the laboratory, mainly using organic matter and mining wastes
• Addition of Organic Matter in the form of residues and amendments: to increase soil water and carbon retention capacity, creating CO ₂ sinks
• Planting of Native Species: Use of local flora to restore habitats
• Grassland Management and Recycling: Improvement of grasslands and use of organic resources to rebuild soil biomass