Amelioration Effects of Soil Fertility and Microbial Responses on a Sandy Loam Soil in Mining Areas Treated with Biochar and Water Jet-Loom Sludge

Aiming at the remediation of soil in mining areas caused by mining activities, pot experiments were conducted using water jet-loom sludge (WJLS) and biochar as soil amendments to evaluate their potential for enhancing soil fertility and microbial communities of degraded mining soils. Six treatments...

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Main Authors: Mengmeng Jiang, Xiaofang Zhu, Xunzheng Rao, Jiu Huang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Land
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/5/1066
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author Mengmeng Jiang
Xiaofang Zhu
Xunzheng Rao
Jiu Huang
author_facet Mengmeng Jiang
Xiaofang Zhu
Xunzheng Rao
Jiu Huang
author_sort Mengmeng Jiang
collection DOAJ
description Aiming at the remediation of soil in mining areas caused by mining activities, pot experiments were conducted using water jet-loom sludge (WJLS) and biochar as soil amendments to evaluate their potential for enhancing soil fertility and microbial communities of degraded mining soils. Six treatments with varying WJLS (0%, 5%, 15%) and biochar (0%, 3%) application rates were evaluated. Results showed that WJLS can significantly improve soil organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and microbial biomass, while reducing soil pH and enhancing ryegrass biomass by 1.6–4.1 times. However, a 3% biochar addition may increase the soil sodium absorption ratio (SAR). Moreover, the role of biochar was mainly reflected in the microbiological properties. The combining of WJLS and biochar increased the soil microbial biomass and obviously improved the diversity and abundance of bacteria and fungi in the soil (<i>p</i> < 0.05) after the amendment, especially in the biochar addition groups. At the phylum level, the relative abundance of <i>Proteobacteria</i>, <i>Firmicutes</i>, and <i>Actinobacteriota</i> accounted for 72.4%~84.2% of soil bacteria in all treatments, while the fungi were dominated by <i>Ascomycota</i> (58.30%~95.36%) and <i>Fungi_unclassified</i> (1.26%~38.97%), all of which were significantly related to enhanced soil properties especially OC, TN, TP, and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Overall, WJLS and biochar demonstrate strong potential as sustainable amendments for improving soil fertility and biological quality in the reclamation of mining-affected lands.
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spelling doaj-art-b9ab07ff1c3247eb90f03fcec20ce9e32025-08-20T03:47:59ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2025-05-01145106610.3390/land14051066Amelioration Effects of Soil Fertility and Microbial Responses on a Sandy Loam Soil in Mining Areas Treated with Biochar and Water Jet-Loom SludgeMengmeng Jiang0Xiaofang Zhu1Xunzheng Rao2Jiu Huang3School of Environment and Spatial Informatics, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, ChinaSchool of Environment and Spatial Informatics, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, ChinaSchool of Environment and Spatial Informatics, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, ChinaAiming at the remediation of soil in mining areas caused by mining activities, pot experiments were conducted using water jet-loom sludge (WJLS) and biochar as soil amendments to evaluate their potential for enhancing soil fertility and microbial communities of degraded mining soils. Six treatments with varying WJLS (0%, 5%, 15%) and biochar (0%, 3%) application rates were evaluated. Results showed that WJLS can significantly improve soil organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and microbial biomass, while reducing soil pH and enhancing ryegrass biomass by 1.6–4.1 times. However, a 3% biochar addition may increase the soil sodium absorption ratio (SAR). Moreover, the role of biochar was mainly reflected in the microbiological properties. The combining of WJLS and biochar increased the soil microbial biomass and obviously improved the diversity and abundance of bacteria and fungi in the soil (<i>p</i> < 0.05) after the amendment, especially in the biochar addition groups. At the phylum level, the relative abundance of <i>Proteobacteria</i>, <i>Firmicutes</i>, and <i>Actinobacteriota</i> accounted for 72.4%~84.2% of soil bacteria in all treatments, while the fungi were dominated by <i>Ascomycota</i> (58.30%~95.36%) and <i>Fungi_unclassified</i> (1.26%~38.97%), all of which were significantly related to enhanced soil properties especially OC, TN, TP, and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Overall, WJLS and biochar demonstrate strong potential as sustainable amendments for improving soil fertility and biological quality in the reclamation of mining-affected lands.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/5/1066mining soilsoil remediationbiocharwater jet-loom sludgenutrientssoil salinity and alkalinity
spellingShingle Mengmeng Jiang
Xiaofang Zhu
Xunzheng Rao
Jiu Huang
Amelioration Effects of Soil Fertility and Microbial Responses on a Sandy Loam Soil in Mining Areas Treated with Biochar and Water Jet-Loom Sludge
Land
mining soil
soil remediation
biochar
water jet-loom sludge
nutrients
soil salinity and alkalinity
title Amelioration Effects of Soil Fertility and Microbial Responses on a Sandy Loam Soil in Mining Areas Treated with Biochar and Water Jet-Loom Sludge
title_full Amelioration Effects of Soil Fertility and Microbial Responses on a Sandy Loam Soil in Mining Areas Treated with Biochar and Water Jet-Loom Sludge
title_fullStr Amelioration Effects of Soil Fertility and Microbial Responses on a Sandy Loam Soil in Mining Areas Treated with Biochar and Water Jet-Loom Sludge
title_full_unstemmed Amelioration Effects of Soil Fertility and Microbial Responses on a Sandy Loam Soil in Mining Areas Treated with Biochar and Water Jet-Loom Sludge
title_short Amelioration Effects of Soil Fertility and Microbial Responses on a Sandy Loam Soil in Mining Areas Treated with Biochar and Water Jet-Loom Sludge
title_sort amelioration effects of soil fertility and microbial responses on a sandy loam soil in mining areas treated with biochar and water jet loom sludge
topic mining soil
soil remediation
biochar
water jet-loom sludge
nutrients
soil salinity and alkalinity
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/5/1066
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